


like you like this

by acheforhim



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alpha Hannibal Lecter, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anal Fingering, Banter, Bottom Hannibal Lecter, Bottom Will Graham, Courtship, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dirty Talk, Domestic Fluff, Episode: s01e08 Fromage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Flirting, Fluff, Hannibal takes Will to the opera, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Will, Knotting, M/M, Omega Will Graham, Protective Hannibal Lecter, Riding, Rimming, Rutting, They Flip, Top Hannibal Lecter, Top Will Graham
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-05-25 16:10:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 34,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14980766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acheforhim/pseuds/acheforhim
Summary: A serial killer is targeting alphas in positions of power who mistreat their mates. Will and Hannibal decide to pose as a couple in order to lure him in.It doesn't go according to plan.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> a disclaimer before we begin: in all honesty, this fic was written for the sole purpose of helping me cope with terrible stuff happening in real life (which is also why it’s been taking so long). i won’t bore you with the details, just telling you why this turned out really fluffy, maybe too lighthearted and unrealistic at times, even for an AU. i know that this sometimes annoys people, especially when Hannibal is written as being too soft, and i’ve tried not to go overboard, but it might seem like too much.
> 
> all this to say, sorry if this much fluff is not to your taste and you expected something edgier out of an omegaverse fic. i’m sure y’all know there’s brilliant dark (or at least not overly soft) fics out there and you don’t need me to guide you to them if you wanna have a good time :'D
> 
> i don’t have a beta and english isn’t my first language, so i’m very sorry for any mistakes you spot.
> 
> also, **please do not write a/b/o without the slashes, that’s an ethnic slur. either use the slashes or use “omegaverse” or whatever else you’re comfortable with (i might be partial to the term “slick fic” myself, haha). thank you!**
> 
> warning for the first chapter: death (crime scene), discussions of domestic abuse.

Will let out a breath and opened his eyes, settling back into reality.

“It’s the same killer,” he said. He looked back and nodded at Beverly. She, Zeller and Price approached the body once again. “This one—”

“Martin Nelson,” Jack supplied.

“Martin Nelson. He was verbally abusive towards his mate, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Jack agreed. The man had died choking on his own blood as the killer cut his tongue off. “Mrs. Nelson—she was the one who discovered the body—hasn’t sought help from the authorities.”

“The killer probably knows her, then,” Will said, and Jack nodded. “That should make things easier.”

“Unless he wasn’t really abusive, and our killer had other reasons to go after him. Or he just wanted to see an alpha mutilated.”

Will considered it, but he shook his head. “His previous victims were abusers, too. He’s an omega, and he was either abused himself, or he witnessed it in his family. This is him finally getting justice, he wouldn’t choose just anyone. All the alphas he punishes are guilty. In his eyes, at least,” he allowed.

“So it is possible that he’s targeting innocents?”

“He’d want to make damn sure he’s ridding the world of someone toxic, but yes. I don’t see why he couldn’t go after someone on evidence that’s not necessarily sufficient.”

Jack looks over Nelson again. “Mrs. Nelson said they went to the opera often. Maybe that’s where he finds his targets?”

Will nodded. “He does seem to go after the wealthy ones.” He rubbed a hand over his face and turned back to look over his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re single, Doctor Lecter,” he said, half-wondering why the man hadn’t said a word yet. He’d never been shy about sharing his opinion on a profile before.

“That’s smooth, Graham,” Beverly noted without looking up at him.

Will snorted. He knew Lecter wouldn’t think he was flirting, but he still gave him a reassuring smile that probably looked sour before he elaborated. “I only meant that I wouldn’t wanna worry about him getting to you if he thought you were mistreating your mate, even if you weren’t.”

Lecter gave him a gracious smile and took a few steps closer. “Either way, you wouldn’t need to worry. No one could try to harm me or my loved ones without facing the consequences.”

The statement would have been incriminating if it weren’t so damn _alpha._ Will barely kept from rolling his eyes. “I take it back, then,” he said. “It’s too bad that you’re still single and we can’t dangle you in front of a serial killer in order to catch him easier.”

“I’ll dangle both of you if you don’t show some respect for the body at your feet,” Jack grumbled before Lecter could reply.                      

Will was about to mumble an apology, but then Beverly said, “That’s an idea.”

“What is?” Jack asked.

Beverly looked at Will for a long second and shook her head. “Nothing,” she said and returned to her work. “Wouldn’t work, anyway.”

Will glanced at Lecter to find him already looking at Will, considering. Neither said anything, not under Jack’s heavy gaze. It was not a good idea.

They could make it work.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **i doubt that ao3 notifies about changes in previous chapters, so if you're coming from a subscription email, please make sure to to back to chapter one and read it, as well as the notes above it! thank you!**

“I somehow forgot to thank you for expressing such concern for me earlier today,” Lecter said as he placed Will’s plate in front of him. Will bit back a smile. Of course he’d use politeness to steer the conversation where they both wanted it to go. “I do appreciate it, Will.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Will said. “I hope there was no need to express it in the first place. It should be clear by now that I care about your wellbeing.”

“It is,” Lecter assured him with a small smile and took his seat opposite Will. “It still feels good to hear it.”

They were silent for a while, taking the time to enjoy the food. Will complimented Lecter on it, as he always did, and Lecter accepted it with grace. Will had to force himself to be patient and wait for Lecter to raise the question. He wasn’t about to do it himself.

As if reading his mind, Lecter looked at him and smiled a little. “Have you given any consideration to the comment Miss Katz made today?”

“You know I have,” Will replied. He’d thought of little else the whole day.

“And what do you think?” Lecter asked, looking down at his food, careful not to give his own opinion on the matter before he heard what Will had to say.

It wouldn’t be the _best_ idea for Will to put himself so close to an alpha. A relationship between an alpha and an omega was supposed to be a balanced, tender thing, but because Will was Will, the prolonged proximity to alphas always fucked up his already wonky hormone levels. His overall mental health had gone to shit whenever he’d tried a genuine relationship with an alpha, but what the hell. It wouldn’t be _real,_ what he and Lecter would do. He’d be fine.

Probably.

“I think we can do it.”

Lecter took a sip of his wine. “Jack won’t like it.”

“He doesn’t have to,” Will said with a shrug. “He can’t authorize such an operation when you’re not on the FBI’s payroll, but he can’t tell me what to do on my own time.”

Lecter’s smile widened a fraction, though he didn’t look at Will. “I _am_ your psychiatrist.”

“We’re having conversations,” Will corrected, as if Lecter didn’t know it already. As if he needed convincing. “You could argue that our professional relationship ended once I passed my eval after Hobbs. I won’t even need a referral. Jack’s superiors would readily believe that all my issues stemmed from me being single and that getting with you did enough to fix me.”

This finally made Lecter look at him, a small frown creasing his brow. “They can’t be that bad,” he said, and Will had to smile at his quiet outrage.

“They’re not,” he amended. “But they can be convinced. Jack knows I need stability. If you can be that for me in friendship, you could do it if we were romantically involved.”

Lecter raised an eyebrow. “I’d be a terrible alpha if I did anything but take care of you.”

“And you’ll have to be terrible,” Will reminded him. “In time. If you’re actually willing to do this, that is.”

“Of course I am,” Lecter said.

“I don’t entirely understand why you would,” Will admitted. “You were willing from the moment Beverly suggested it.”

“So were you.”

“But this is my job,” Will said. “More or less. I don’t see what you have to gain if we do this.”

Lecter smiled. “It’ll be fun, don’t you think?”

Will wanted to roll his eyes. “You’d be in considerable danger, Doctor.”

“I would not,” he replied, and he sounded so infuriatingly self-assured that Will almost called the whole thing off just to spite him. “The one thing I’m worried about is your colleagues.”

Will nodded. “No matter how convincing we are, they won’t believe it. They know it was Beverly who put the idea in our heads,” he said and took a bite. “And there is also that… People wouldn’t point at the two of us if they’re asked who they think would make a cute couple, would they.”

Lecter nodded. “Neither of us fits the traditional depiction of our kind.”

“Well… You do, a bit.”

“I do?”

Will chuckled. “Are you really asking me to stroke your ego right now?”

Lecter shook his head. “Not at all. I simply want to know how you see me.”

“I… I see exactly what you want me to see,” Will said with an awkward laugh. “Your appearance, your habits, your manners – they didn’t just build themselves around you. You’ve cultivated them over the years, and now you get to reap the rewards.” Will shrugged. “You draw people in, but you keep them at a distance. They take no more from you than you’re willing to give. It serves you well.”

Lecter gave him a long look. “A perfectly tailored person suit.”

Will nodded in agreement.

Lecter’s silence was unnerving. It was a relief when he finally turned his attention back to his meal. “What do you imagine my person-in-a-relationship suit looks like?” he asked in the end.

“I don’t.”

He expected Lecter to ask him why, but he didn’t. “It has been a while since I’ve been in a romantic relationship,” he said instead.

Will nodded. “That makes sense,” he said quietly.

“It does?”

“Yes.” Will was in no hurry to elaborate, but Lecter was watching him expectantly, so in the end he sighed and relented. “I think that when you love, it’s a knife to the gut,” he said, gaze on his empty plate. “It burns. It’s all-consuming. You don’t let yourself feel it too often,” he said and took a sip of his wine to fill the silence that followed his words. “I know I wouldn’t.”

“Why wouldn’t you?” Lecter asked, curious.

Will pressed his lips together for a moment. “Hard to find someone worthy of the knife, anyway,” he said with a strained attempt at a smile.

Lecter gave him a long look, then he smiled in reply. “I love to hear you speak your mind, Will,” he said and gathered the last bite on his fork.

It startled a laugh out of Will. “What?”

“I love to hear the way you phrase things, no matter how simple or complex the subject,” Lecter replies. “I could listen to you speak for hours.”

Will narrowed his eyes at him. “You’re trying to get me used to compliments. For when we’re ‘together’.” He really wanted to do it, then.

“Perhaps,” Lecter allowed. “But it is also true that your voice is one of the loveliest sounds I’ve ever heard.”

Will sincerely hoped the heat on his cheeks didn’t show in a blush as he argued, “You’re a musician.”

“I should know, then.”

“You should know better, then.”

Lecter gave him a smile that crinkled the sides of his eyes. “Perhaps,” he said again and stood up to gather their plates. “Or maybe you should accept the fact that we are rarely, if ever, subjective when we regard the ones we love.”

Will felt strangely embarrassed at the mention of love. “Let me help,” he said instead of replying, but Lecter took the plate out of his hand.

“There’s no need. Please make yourself comfortable in the study, I’ll be with you in a moment,” he said and headed for the kitchen.

Will sat in one of the armchairs in front of the fireplace, and soon Lecter joined him on the other, handing Will his refilled glass.

“If we were to do this, what would you find most challenging?” he asked Will.

Will took a sip as he considered his answer. “We’re gonna have to touch,” he said, making an effort to clear his face of misery. “Not that I’m opposed to touching you, specifically,” he added.

“You don’t have to explain. We need to set our limits, after all. What would you be uncomfortable with?”

“Oh, you can do whatever,” Will said. He didn’t turn to Lecter but he could feel his eyes on him.

“I think it would hardly be appropriate for me to grope you without your prior consent,” Lecter said, and this time Will did turn to him.

“Do you often grope your dates in public?”

“Only occasionally,” he replied with a mild smile. “But I would have to act like a _brute_ at some point. Even if the beginning is gentle.” He reached for Will, palm turned up and waiting. “I promise I won’t burn you,” he said softly, though Will was unsure why.

He shifted and touched their palms together. He lingered there before his fingers moved on to ghost over Lecter’s wrist, thumb rubbing over the soft skin on the inside of it. He wanted to move up, feel the fabric of his jacket, but then Hannibal leaned in, catching Will’s hand and bringing it to his cheek instead. He scented Will’s wrist and then rested his face in his palm, gazing at him warmly. It was a perfect display. Will didn’t fight the temptation to move his thumb against the barely noticeable stubble underneath it. It pleased him that it made Hannibal smile like… Like he loved it. Like he loved _Will._

“I thought I’d have to learn every inch of you,” Will said, voice quiet. “But maybe we won’t be so bad at improvising.”

“I never thought we would be,” Hannibal said. “Certain situations we’ll have to prepare for, but other than that, I trust you to react beautifully to any challenge ahead of us.”

“I wish I had your confidence,” Will said.

“In yourself, or in me?”

“In us.”

Lecter was silent for a moment, then he put his glass aside and rose. “Come with me,” he said and reached for Will again. Will took his hand and Hannibal didn’t let go as he led him upstairs.

“I don’t think anyone would be able to quiz me on the interior of your bedroom, Doctor Lecter,” Will said when he realized where they were headed.

“You never know,” Lecter said and pushed the door open. He led Will to a full-length mirror next to his closet door and turned to face him, hands in his pocket. “What do you see, Will?” he asked, and Will could have laughed.

“We look like the scruffy cop and the distinguished profiler from a crappy procedural someone’s mother—and no one else you know—watches religiously.”

Lecter closed his eyes for a moment and ducked his head, his smile half-pained, half-amused. He took a tiny step closer until he was pressed to Will’s side. He slowly moved his hand to touch Will, to slide it over his belly and chest. “What else?” he prompted.

Will tried not to squirm under his touch. “I could see them having some sexual tension, I suppose.”

“Can you?” Hannibal moved to stand at Will’s back and he felt himself tense when Hannibal wrapped his arms around him. “Breathe with me,” he said gently and Will did; he closed his eyes and leaned into Hannibal until he could relax into his embrace. “We can’t improvise this,” Hannibal murmured after a long minute.

“We can’t,” Will agreed. “But I’ll be good,” he assured him. His face grew hot when he realized how eager that came out. “I mean, I’ll get used to it. It’ll look natural.”

“Maybe some discomfort won’t be out of place, if we’re to lead people to believe that I am not treating you right.”

“I don’t think it’ll be useful. Not at first.” He sighs and brings a hand up to run over Hannibal’s arm. Hannibal leaned his chin on Will’s shoulder and watched him in the mirror. “I wanted to argue earlier, but Beverly’s right. Freddie has already painted me as someone dangerous. No one would believe that I submitted to you, not if you openly treat me like shit. I need to look… Smitten. Comfortable. Loving.”

“A suit that hasn’t spent much time outside the closet, I imagine.”

Will huffed. “Person suit, never worn.” Hannibal smiled at that and Will felt the urge to turn to him and… _And do what_? “Would you be okay with your friends thinking that you’re mistreating me?” he asked to distract himself. “Would _they_ be okay with it?”

“My true friends are very few, and they will understand, once the case is over and we reveal the reason behind our actions. As for the others, they will only care what you look like, not what you feel like.”

“God, what _would_ I look like when you take me out? Would you even let me wear my own clothes?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Hannibal asked. “If your wardrobe lacks anything, I’d be happy to provide it for you, but other than that…” he continued and smiled at Will’s pained expression.

“Anything else?” he dared to ask. “I’m dropping the whole thing if you ask me to shave.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Hannibal said. He nuzzled Will’s jaw, and Will froze. _That._ That’s _what I wanted to do._ He almost missed Hannibal’s next words over the buzzing in his head. “I like you like this.”

“Good,” Will mumbled, and tried not to think about the statement too much. He sighed again. “I have to go.” He turned around in Hannibal’s arms and hesitated before he embraced him. He suppressed a shiver when he felt Hannibal gently rub over his back. “I’ll get used to it,” he promised, unwilling to admit that it already felt too good to let go. Hannibal’s only answer was to take a deep breath at the base of Will’s neck.

Will smothered his laugh in Hannibal’s shoulder. “That’s the second time you’ve scented me tonight, Doctor. I don’t even know how I’m supposed to react to it.”

“None of your previous partners liked doing it?”

“They did, but not in public. And I know you’ll do it the first chance you get. Am I supposed to swoon?”

Hannibal tilted his head to the side. “Why do you think I would scent you in public?”

“It’s halfway between natural and indecent. People will avert their eyes, but they’ll know I belong to you.”

His smile was small and satisfied. “And how do you think you should react to being so obviously possessed?”

Will pulled an inch away. He glanced up at Hannibal’s eyes and then turned slightly away, baring the same spot for Hannibal so he could have his fill. Hannibal exhaled softly and pressed his lips to Will’s neck. It was not a kiss, nor a bite—just a simple touch. It still made Will shiver.

“Good,” Hannibal murmured, and Will felt warm at the praise. Hannibal pulled away and ran his hands down Will’s arms like he was trying to fill a touch quota before Will left.

“Taking measurements already?” Will joked, trying to break the tension he felt in his body.

“It doesn’t hurt to get a head start.”

“It does if you start without me,” Will said and twined their fingers together before he headed for the door. “Be a gentleman and walk me to my car, Doctor. You’ll have time enough to grope me on our second date.”

“Yes, darling,” Hannibal said indulgently. Will rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t stop the smile tugging on his lips.

At the front door, Hannibal gently helped him into his jacket, smoothing it over his shoulders, and Will shook his head. “You weren’t joking about getting a head start.”

“I’m just being a gentleman, per your request,” he replied, and reached for his own coat.

“Don’t—don’t actually walk me to my car,” Will said, and Hannibal raised an eyebrow. “Saying goodbye here is just fine. It’s not that far.”

“Exactly. Walking you out would not be a hardship.”

“It’s cold,” Will pointed out and gently tugged on the coat until Hannibal let it go, then hung it back up. “No one will know you didn’t freeze your ass off just to be polite.”

“I will,” Hannibal said.

“You’ll survive,” Will said. He couldn’t resist pulling Hannibal into another hug. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

Hannibal rubbed his cheek against Will’s hair. “Do you look forward to people thinking you have ridiculous taste in men?”

Will snorted and pulled away. “They’ll be thinking that of _you_. Are you sure you’re ready for your reputation to take such a hit?”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to have people see you the way I do,” Hannibal promised, and his words tugged on something in Will’s chest. “Within the bounds of reason, of course.”

“I think we established that there won’t be much that’s off-limits,” Will said. “I can only think of one thing, really.”

“Oh?”

“No making out in public,” he said, and shrugged at Hannibal’s mild surprise. “It’s annoying when others do it, I’ll be annoyed with us if we do it. And it looks showy, anyway.”

“And we want to keep our farce as natural and believable as possible.”

“That’s right.” Will patted Hannibal’s shoulder. “That’s why I was first attracted to you, Doctor Lecter. You just get me.”

Hannibal looked mildly offended. “I thought my good looks had at least something to do with it.”

“Nah,” Will said with a shake of his head. “You’re not really my type.”

Hannibal took a step away from him and opened the door, his expression stone-cold. “I think it’s time you left my home.”

Will laughed, but Hannibal was right. “It really is.” Hannibal closed the door halfway, hesitation written over his face. “I know you’re not actually kicking me out. I _was_ leaving before we…” _Lingered_. “Thank you for dinner,” he said softly and opened the door wider again.

“Will you join me again tomorrow?”

Will smirked. “Eager to cash that groping check?”

“You can’t even imagine how,” Hannibal deadpanned, and Will grinned.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll call you if something else comes up,” Will said and finally stepped out.

“I’ll be waiting. Drive safe, Will.”

“Good night, Doctor Lecter.”

They waved at each other before Will got into his car.

Will's smile didn’t fade away for the entire ride to Wolf Trap.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was gonna post this in a couple of days, but you guys were really encouraging with your comments on the previous chapter, so this is my way of saying tnanks ;w;
> 
> i wanna say sorry again for not having a beta. i edit and check over everything multiple times, but i guess some things i just keep missing; i keep finding and correcting mistakes long after posting. i hope it doesn't take you out of the story too much when you notice them before i do.
> 
> hope you enjoy the chapter!

Will’s good mood didn’t carry over to the next morning—he greeted dawn with yet another migraine, with his face buried in his pillow and a groan crawling its way out of his throat. He let himself wallow in agony for a minute, then he felt a tentative snout sniff and lick at the arm he’d let hang over the side of the bed. He turned his head to the side and saw Winston watching him with concern, letting out a little _woof_ when Will stayed quiet.

“I’m fine,” Will told him, but what he got in reply was a couple of louder barks, which he imagined said something along the lines of _Get up and feed us, then, if you’re not dead or dying._

He dragged himself out of bed and did just that, then went to wash up and take two aspirin. He had a long day ahead of him – lectures and the lab and maybe more if there was another body Jack wanted him to look at. At least he had dinner at Lecter’s to look forward to—though he wasn’t that sure about that, either.

The night before, it’d been easy to play along with Lecter, softened by the wine and his company. Now that he was home, more than an hour away from the heat of his fireplace and the influence of the man’s soft, inviting scent, Will wondered if he could really make anyone believe he’d fallen in love. Not that people would think it weird he fell for Lecter—the other way around, for sure, but Hannibal was eccentric enough to maybe have them believe that Will was just a diamond in the rough—he just wasn’t sure if he’d ever been in a relationship serious enough to know how to fake it. His crush on Alana had been nothing more than that, born of admiration and appreciation for her respecting his boundaries. He knew what it felt like to be in love, but he was entirely too twitchy and awkward to ever see himself as part of a happy couple.

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. It was a stupid plan, anyway. They could give it up, no harm done.

Maybe tonight they’d call it off and continue as usual.

*

Though his headache subsided, the rest of the day wasn’t any less tedious. Nelson’s autopsy didn’t give them much about the case that they didn’t already know. When they were done in the lab, Will was more than ready for dinner, but Beverly surprised him by approaching him. Her hands were in her pockets, her shoulders squared.

“Hey,” she said as they walked out together. “Wanna get a drink?”

He took a moment to look her over. She definitely wasn’t asking him out, and the tension radiating off of her told him she must have really been desperate if she was turning to him for comfort.

“Sure,” he said before he could stop himself. “Want me to drive?” When she raised an eyebrow, he added, “You look like you really need it.”

“Thanks, but I don’t wanna leave my car here.”

“I can drive you here tomorrow.” She stared at him and he sighed. “I have a lecture in the morning. I’ll be here early, anyway,” he explained.

“No, I know. I’m just surprised you offered at all.”

“I’m not an asshole _all_ the time,” he said quietly. “Not to everyone,” he amended, and she bumped her hip into his as they walked.

“Why am I so special?”

“You’re not annoying,” he replied honestly, and she chuckled.

“A compliment of the highest order.”

“Don’t get used to it,” he murmured and surprised himself by bumping back into her.

“There he is.” She smiled, but her amusement barely cracked through the sadness still settled on her features.

She went to get her things from her car, and Will used the opportunity to text Hannibal, hoping he wouldn’t be too appalled at the method of communication.

_Something came up. I’ll be late, or we can reschedule?_

The reply came almost immediately.

**_Later tonight is fine. Please let me know when you’re on your way._ **

Beverly got in his passenger seat and gave him a tight smile, but then she remained quiet, only speaking up to guide him to the bar she’d chosen.

About five minutes into the drive Will took a breath and inquired, “What’s wrong, Bev?”

He did his best not to wince when he saw her turn his way to give him a long look. He’d never used the nickname before.

She didn’t comment on it. “Jess and I broke up.”

“Oh.” He wondered if he was supposed to know who _Jess_ was. “How long were you together?”

“Two years.”

“Shit,” he murmured.

She laughed unhappily. “Yeah.”

“What happened?

Her jacket squeaked a little as she shrugged. “She had to move away for work. I didn’t wanna move with her. She didn’t wanna do long-distance. Relationship over.”

“Shit,” he said again. “I’m sorry,” he added, unsure what else to offer.

She laughed a little. “You know, I picked you because I thought you wouldn’t wanna talk about it.”

“That’s what you get for expecting good company of me.”

She swatted at his shoulder. “You are good company, when you want to be. I just didn’t expect you to care.”

That was fair enough, so the pang of guilt he felt at her words came as a surprise. “Good,” he said. “Don’t.”

She snorted and pointed out a parking space to him.

They found a secluded little booth, just far enough from the rest of the patrons not to be overheard. She got a beer despite being able to get something harder, and he wondered whether he should get a soda for a moment before he went with water. Beverly gave him an incredulous look.

“I have a proper meal waiting for me after this. I’ll get a serious talking to if I spoil my appetite.”

He expected her to laugh, but she just frowned. “You had plans?”

“Nothing that couldn’t be postponed.”

“And you postponed them _for me?_ ”

“Yes?” he said, and chuckled when it did nothing to chase the expression of surprise off her face. “I’m not _that_ terrible, you know.”

“A proper meal,” she murmured instead of directly replying to him. “Will Graham,” she drawled, gaze lighting up. “Do you have a _date_ tonight?”

“What?” He forced out a laugh. “No, nothing like that. I’m just seeing Dr. Lecter.”

She let out a dramatic gasp, ignoring his denial. “Isn’t he your psychiatrist?”

“Not really. We just talk.”

“Over dinner. In his house?”

“Yeah. I mean, there’s no point in me taking up his office hours when I’m not a patient,” he said, making a mental note to let Lecter know he couldn’t go to his office anymore. He cursed at himself; he could have come up with something better, but he hadn’t, so he continued. “He enjoys cooking for people, and I don’t enjoy cooking for myself. It’s a win-win.”

She tilted her head to the side. “How many times have you seen him this week?”

“I was there last night,” he said. “Why?”

“Oh, no reason,” she said, taking a sip, and he rolled his eyes.

“Spill it, Katz.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, but then she smirked and leaned towards him, folding her arms over the table. “Don’t you think it’s a little curious that a single alpha is having you over at his house two nights in a row? And that he is accepting you being late to your date with no fuss?”

“That’s because it’s not a date,” he said, though he realized that it sort of was. It really could look like they were seeing each other to someone who didn’t know that they were… Planning to fake see each other. He shook his head and mirrored her pose. “It’s bad detective work to flat out ignore what the witness is saying, agent Katz.”

“Not if he’s also a suspect,” she argued.

“And what do you suspect me of?”

“Being oblivious,” she said. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. He retained control of it for all of a second, but in the end blurted out, “The way he looks at me?” His hopeful tone was definitely worth the look of satisfaction on her face, even if it made him feel pathetic. “Don’t answer that.”

“Why not?” she asked, and raised her eyebrows when he just took a sip of water. “You really like him, don’t you?”

He shrugged.

“Fuck, you really do,” she concluded, just like he wanted her to. “Why the—why are you here with me, you dumbass? You should have gone straight to him!”

Will laughed. “It’s really not that serious.”

“Bullshit. You’re fucking blushing,” she said, and grinned when he raised a hand to press against his cheek. If he hadn’t been flushed before, he sure was now, fidgeting under her attention and insinuations. “Have you told him?”

He laughed. “Fuck no.”

“Why not?”

“Do you really think it would work? Me and him?” He shook his head.

“Why the fuck not?” she asked again.

He ran a hand through his hair. “Can’t we just go back to you being miserable?”

He felt shitty the moment after the words left his mouth, but she was outright cheerful when she replied, “Nope. Why can’t you be with him?”

“I’m an asshole,” he reminded her, not knowing what else to say.

“Not all the time,” she retorted. “And I bet he’s one of your exceptions.”

He laughed. “Not really. I’m a dick around him, too. Though I am a bit better than when we first met. It was kind of like you could barely tolerate me when Jack first brought me to a crime scene.”

She shook her head. “I was just annoyed that I couldn’t do my job then, I didn’t have anything against you. Maybe thought you were a bit full of shit, but then I saw what you could do,” she said with a shrug. “And anyway, we’re friends now. You’re just an acquired taste.”

“If you say so.”

She gave him a pitying look before she switched the subject to work, leaving him be for the moment, and they talked for a while longer. When she finished her beer and leaned back in her seat, her jaw clenched, Will knew she wasn’t feeling any better than when they’d first walked into the bar.

He sighed.

“I’m about to do something ill-advised,” he warned. She frowned at him when he got up and got to her side of the booth. “Scooch.”

She laughed and moved over so that he could sit next to her. He awkwardly put an arm around her and pulled her closer, and her laugh ended in a sob when she buried her face in his shoulder.

“What’s with you today?” she mumbled, clinging to him in an awkward hug. “You’ve never as much as shaken my hand before.”

“I have no idea,” he said, because _I’m_ _getting in touch with my omega side_ would have been a really stupid thing to say out loud.

“Love has made you go soft,” she concluded, and he chuckled.

“Could be,” he murmured and laid his cheek on her head.

They stayed like that, enjoying a few quiet minutes between them. Finally, Beverly wiped at her eyes and sat up. She rummaged through her bag, then cursed under her breath and opted for using the front camera of her phone as a mirror. She ran a hand through her hair and smiled when she angled the phone so that Will was in the shot, too.

“Would if be really petty if I uploaded a picture with you so she could see I’m doing just fine without her?”

“Probably,” Will said. “You should do it.”

Beverly laughed. “You sure?”

He shrugged. He wasn’t on any social media; the only photos of him out there were probably the ones on Tattlecrime. She raised the camera, but then she shook her head with a smile and put her phone away without snapping a picture. “You look like you’re in pain, man.”

“Sorry?”

“Hey, no worries. The hug was big enough a step. We’ll reach selfie level one day.” She reached into her bag again and left some money on the table, then gently nudged him with her elbow. “Come on, there’s an alpha waiting for you, and sad wallowing in store for me.”

“You should get a dog,” he said, knowing there was nothing like an enthusiastic ball of fluff to distract you when life was shit. “Or seven.”

“Can I borrow some of yours?” she joked, and he couldn’t even sort out his feelings on the matter before she laughed. “Your _face!_ Honey, I don’t actually wanna take away your dogs,” she said, squeezing his arm.

He didn’t know how to tell her that _I just got way ahead of myself and I imagined what it would be to live with Hannibal and without my dogs,_ so he just let out a helpless laugh. “I kind of need them to soak up my own sadness.”

She gave him a sympathetic smile.

“But it is a good idea,” he said. “You can take one of them to keep you company, if you want. It’s probably weird living alone after…”

“Yeah,” she said softly, her hand falling away from his arm. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, definitely. You should come over sometime to meet them, they’re all gonna love you,” he said as they got into his car, and for a moment he saw her eyes shine with tears before she sharply turned to look out of the window.

He almost offered to keep her company a while longer, but then he thought better of it.

When he stopped in front of her house, she took a deep breath. “You’re not just doing this for the case, are you?”

“What?” was all Will said, and she didn’t look impressed.

“Don’t play dumb,” she said. “I know you both considered it. I wouldn’t have said anything if I knew you had feelings for each other.”

“He doesn’t—”

“Shut it. He cares about you, and you care about him. Don’t fuck it up,” she said. “Don’t ruin what you have over something that either won’t work or will put you both in danger. We’ll catch him another way.”

She was so earnest that he felt guilty for continuing to lie to her. “It’s not for a case,” he said quietly. “I didn’t even think— I just wanted—”

She squeezed his shoulder. “It’s okay, Will. Let yourself have this. Just promise me you’ll be careful, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

She ruffled his hair a little and it wasn’t even unpleasant. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bright and early,” he said, and she got out.

He took a breath to steel himself before he texted Hannibal.

_I’ll be there in 20._

He was going to reach his house about two hours later than they’d initially agreed on. Did Hannibal really not mind?

He got no reply, so he started the car.

He thought on Beverly’s words over the ride, and found that she was right, even if she didn’t have all the facts. He did have a good relationship with Hannibal. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t a romantic one; it was still a bond of trust. He knew they could lure the killer if they worked together, but what if he fucked up along the way? What if Hannibal wanted nothing to do with him afterwards? No one understood Will like he did, and while Will knew he’d survive it if they stopped talking, he didn’t want to lose what they had. He didn’t want to lose Hannibal.

As he walked to his front door, he assembled a speech in his head, a way to quit before they’d properly started.

It all turned to dust when Hannibal opened the door and Will saw that he had flour on his cheek, and even more in his hair. He laughed, and Hannibal tilted his head to the side in confusion.

“Good evening, Doctor. You have a little…” Will trailed off and stepped forward, gently brushing the flour off Hannibal’s hair, then running a thumb over his cheek. It was the most disheveled he’d ever seen Hannibal, and it was delightful.

“Oh,” was Hannibal’s initial reaction. Will hadn’t ever seen him make a mess, and his embarrassment was obvious for a moment. Then he took Will’s hand in his own and pressed a kiss to his palm before he moved into Will’s space. He wrapped an arm around him and Will’s heart thundered in his chest. “I used the extra time you gave me to make us some dessert,” he said, smooth as ever. “I’m afraid I didn’t have the time to check if I was left as clean as my kitchen.”

His eyes were so warm, his smile so soft. Will wondered if that was what Beverly was talking about—but it couldn’t have been; the night before in the study was the first time Hannibal had ever looked at him like this.

Will thought of the case, of them, how he should stop this before it went too far—and then Hannibal leaned in closer and rubbed their noses together, and Will’s heart had never felt so full.

The moment seemed to stretch into eternity, Will’s mind racing all the while. This wasn’t real. Hannibal was just really good at showing affection. It wasn’t supposed to affect Will this way. _It shouldn’t be affecting me in any way at all._

“Let me take your jacket,” Hannibal said when he finally pulled away, and Will nodded, silent.

He didn’t tell him a word of what he’d planned out, because he knew they could do this. They could pretend to be in love. They could make it work.

For the case.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't know how hannibal's house works, in this fic everything is downstairs and the 2nd floor is reserved for the bedrooms and bathrooms and his enormous closet probably

A week later found Will sprawled in _his_ corner of the couch in Hannibal’s study, belly full and hand occupied by a glass of wine.

He’d began to spend almost every evening in Hannibal’s home under the pretense of making a plan, but he fully realized that they weren’t getting any closer to working one out. Over dinner they had the same conversations they usually did—crimes and ethics and psychology and double meanings—and afterwards they just… Spent more time in each other’s company.

He had a plan in his head. They would get used to being close and display that in front of people they knew; whether they were convincing or not (likely the latter), they would move on to public outings, preferably the opera. When they got people’s attention, they would shift their act to an uglier one, then they would simply wait to see if the killer had really been lurking among the socialites. Maybe he would pretend to move in with Hannibal so that he could keep him safe.

Maybe he was supposed to ask Hannibal what he thought about that.

The thing was, there was no guarantee that they would catch the killer’s attention, or anyone else’s for that matter. Still, Will found he didn’t entirely mind wasting time this way. It was good to be out of his own house for a while, and this type of work—not that this was work in any capacity, official or not—was infinitely more enjoyable that everything he had to face whenever Jack summoned him. Hannibal seemed more than content to have him over so that they could _get to know each other better._

“I should probably tell you that I don’t purr,” Will said, watching Hannibal as he turned his desk chair around to face Will.

Hannibal arched an eyebrow. “Not at all?”

“Nope. I don’t whine, either. It just doesn’t happen,” he said with a shrug. “It hasn’t been an issue, but I thought you should know, in case you were hoping to get some sort of reaction out of me.”

“That’s interesting,” Hannibal said, and Will was grateful he didn’t elaborate. He didn’t need the medical version of _Of course you’re not a freak, honey, I’m sure it’s a common thing. But have you tried—?_ “I don’t suppose it would come up. These reactions only occur privately, if the couple has the decency not to be that intimate in public.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Will said with another shrug. No one had ever purred for him. “I realized on my way here that I don’t even interact with couples that much. I don’t at all, outside of interviews. I don’t know how we’re gonna compare.”

He was supposed to be able to compare them to previous relationships of his own. He glanced at Hannibal, wondering if he’d just given himself away on his inexperience with alphas. Hannibal didn’t seem to notice.

“I don’t think we need to compare to anyone. We’ll stand strong on our own.”

Will took a sip of his wine. “I don’t want to overdo it.”

“I don’t think we will,” Hannibal said. “Young couples are known to act less… Refined when in public. Even if we slip, it shouldn’t matter.”

“I guess.” Will rubbed a hand over his eye. “I just don’t wanna look like I’ve read up on those _How to Be a Good Omega_ articles and acting on them. It has to be more natural than that.”

Hannibal gave him a curious look. “Have you been reading those articles?”

Will ducked his gaze, pressing the edge of his glass to lip without sipping. “No,” he lied, his breath fogging up the glass.

Hannibal said nothing. He reached back towards his desk and Will saw him turn on his tablet.

“Hannibal, don’t look them up.”

Hannibal looked up at him in surprise, but he didn’t say anything before he turned his attention back to his tablet. After a moment’s thought, it occurred to Will that he had never addressed Hannibal by his first name before. He felt himself flush, but he had no time to fret over it as Hannibal started typing and murmuring softly.

“ _How… to be good… to your omega,_ ” he said, and Will groaned. “Let’s see what _alphas-who-love-omegas dot com_ has to say on the matter.”

“It ain’t gonna be good,” Will warned.

“ _Ten Quick Ways_ _to Please Your Omega,_ ” Hannibal read out loud and quirked an eyebrow as he looked at Will.

“How much do you wanna bet it’ll get outrageously sexist around point three?”

Hannibal pressed his lips together for a moment before he read on. “ _Number one. Tell them what to do,_ ” he said, and Will choked on his wine.

“They didn’t even try!” he said, and it came out too loud in the otherwise quiet room. That might have been the wine’s fault. He eyed his glass and considered not finishing it, but then Hannibal read on.

“ _After a long day in the world, your omega just needs to unwind. Take control so they can stop worrying about everything, at least for a little bit._ ”

“That’s not even—it’s not limited to omegas,” Will muttered. He felt Hannibal’s eyes on him, but he didn’t comment on what Will said and went back to the list.

“ _Number two. Place your hand on their neck_.”

Will raised an eyebrow. “Do they think they just invented gentling?” he said with a laugh. “Give me something spicy. I wanna be offended.”

Hannibal chuckled and obeyed. “ _Number three. Pick them up and carry them places, even if it’s just to bed_ ,” he said, and Will laughed again. “What,” Hannibal said, “you don’t want to— _feel my alpha strength and ability to take care of you_?”

“I mean, to be fair, that one’s meant for couples that look a little different from us.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know,” Will made a vague gesture at himself. “You’d need someone more, uh, delicate than me.”

The expression Hannibal directed at him was completely blank. “You don’t think I could carry you.”

There was danger in his tone, but Will ignored it. “I never expected you to carry me. It’s not a deal breaker or anything, we can still fake date,” he chuckled, but Hannibal was already putting his tablet to the side. “What are you doing,” Will said, but it was far from being a question. He left his glass on the table beside the couch and rose to his feet, keeping his eyes on Hannibal who took his jacket off and folded it up, leaving it on the back of the chair.

Hannibal stood and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.

_I can stop this,_ Will thought. _I can tell him to cut it off._

Instead of doing that, he bolted for the door.

That one was definitely on the wine.

He raced through the hallway, heart pounding, mouth stretched in a grin, Hannibal hot on his heels. He hesitated for a second too long at the stairs, not having been on the second floor alone before, and he felt Hannibal’s arms wrap around him before he’d reached the third step. And indignant sound left his throat when his feet left the ground and Hannibal spun him around, but then Will was laughing.

“Okay,” he said once his feet touched the floor again, hand rubbing over Hannibal’s forearm where it was still holding him. He hoped Hannibal couldn’t feel Will’s heartbeat going wild over the fact that he’d just _chased_ him, _fuck—_ “Okay. You can pick me up, you win,” he said, barely restraining himself from leaning back and sinking into Hannibal’s embrace.

“The article didn’t just say _pick up,_ ” Hannibal replied.

“What?” Will made to face him, but before he could turn around Hannibal’s arm was behind his knees and he swept him up in a princess carry, making Will let out an undignified little yelp as he grabbed at Hannibal’s shoulders. “For fuck’s sake, Hannibal,” he groaned, but he had to laugh at his smug little smile. “Are you done showing off?”

“Not quite,” he said, bouncing Will once to get a better grip on him, and his smile widened when it made Will yelp again. _He’s so fucking strong._ “Do you feel quite _pleased,_ darling?”

“Yes, very,” Will deadpanned, glad his voice didn’t waver. “I’ve never been more attracted to you.”

“You’re in luck, then,” Hannibal said and started walking back to the study. “We’re all alone. We can make out to your heart’s desire.”

Will laughed, startled. “You’re ridiculous,” he mumbled. “Bring me to the fainting couch before your alpha strength proved too much for my frail omega body.”

Hannibal did as he was told, careful right until the moment he unceremoniously dropped Will onto the couch. “There you go, my love,” he said cheerfully and went to get his tablet again. He settled down on the other end of the couch and looked at him, a soft, amused expression on his face. Will smiled back at him as he shifted to face him, cheek resting on the back of the couch.

“On to the next one, then. _Number four. Let them sit in your lap._ ”

“Because my urge to do it is so strong that you have been restraining me thus far?”

Hannibal smirked. “I’m guessing that’s a no, then.”

_Not quite._ “It doesn’t matter, anyway. I don’t plan on sitting on your lap in public, we don’t need to practice that.”

“You never know,” Hannibal joked. “You might like it.”

Will smirked. “Yeah, you’re right. I might like you in my lap.”

Hannibal raised an eyebrow at him and got up. “You’re awfully confident in taunting me when you think I won’t bite,” he said and stood in front of Will. He nudged Will’s thighs closed with his knee so that he could settle on top of them, facing Will, and Will’s head just about exploded.

“I’m a good fisherman, Hannibal,” he said, and wondered if he could blame the heat of his face on the wine at this point. “D’you think I’d waste a lure on you if I thought you wouldn’t bite?” He grinned when Hannibal just tilted his head, considering him. “And I wasn’t taunting you before. I really didn’t know that you could pick me up.”

“Now you know,” Hannibal said, “So never doubt me again.”

Will opened his mouth to tell him he never _doubted_ him, but Hannibal propped his tablet over his lips to shut him up. He could still speak if he wanted to, Hannibal wasn’t pressing down hard at all, but Will chose to just grin instead.

Hannibal read on. “ _Number five. Play with their hair._ ”

“Again, not limited to omegas,” Will mumbled. He reached up to run his fingers through Hannibal’s hair to prove his point, and he was rewarded with a second where Hannibal completely froze. A moment later his eyes squeezed shut and he visibly suppressed a shudder. Will worried he’d overstepped, but he knew Hannibal would tell him if he did—or his displeasure would be obvious without him having to voice it. He didn’t look uncomfortable, just… Unsure.

_Has he never let anyone do this for him before?_

Will used both his hands to pull Hannibal closer and drag his fingers over his scalp, careful not to scratch too hard, and Hannibal groaned, leaning forward, his forehead touching Will’s, his scent getting stronger between them.

“Good?” Will asked in a whisper, careful not to break the moment. Hannibal just nodded against him, completely melting into him, and he was such a comforting weight on top of Will that all he wanted was to pull him even closer until he was completely squished between him and the couch.

Will moved one of his hands to Hannibal’s neck and kept the other moving, endlessly brushing Hannibal’s hair back and smiling at him when Hannibal finally opened his eyes.

“See?” Will said, and Hannibal just smirked and nipped at his jaw.

Will barely had any time to register the gesture, let alone interpret it, before Hannibal pulled back just enough to see the tablet. He read on.

“ _Number six. Put a and on their throat_ ,” he said and reached for him, but Will immediately slid his hand from Hannibal’s neck to catch his wrist before it got too far. Hannibal looked at him, brow arched.

“Only during sex,” he blurted out, unable to think of a more polite way to say _it gets me wet_ in the moment. He couldn’t imagine what other effect they had listed in the article, and he didn’t ask.

“Ah,” Hannibal said, and that was that. He let his hand fall back and Will let him go.

“This is dumb,” he said, poking at the back of the tablet until Hannibal left it to the side. He wasn’t ready for the way Hannibal relaxed on top of him immediately after, since he didn’t necessarily have to look at Will or anything else anymore. He leaned his head on Will’s shoulder and Will managed a laugh, doubling his efforts at playing with Hannibal’s hair without having to be told to.

“If I knew this was your off button, I’d have employed it long ago.”

Hannibal hummed. “Would have made for some interesting therapy sessions.”

Will smiled and let his other hand slide over Hannibal’s waist. He felt that his waistcoat had ridden up and he huffed, his breath ruffling Hannibal’s hair. Hannibal made a questioning sound.

“Do you _have_ to wear a full suit at home?”

“Is my wardrobe getting in the way of you groping me, dear?” he asked, and Will chuckled.

“Forget I said anything.”

Hannibal pulled back to get up, and for a moment Will regretted opening his mouth. But Hannibal just removed his waistcoat and left it on the armrest. He sat back down on Will, this time letting his legs stretch over the couch, slinging an arm around Will’s shoulders.

Will wished he had an alpha’s strength so he could get up as he was, Hannibal still in his arms, and carry him around like he’d done to him earlier. He didn’t, so he settled for holding him in a light embrace, weaving his fingers together at Hannibal’s hip.

“Better?” Hannibal asked, playing with a curl of Will’s hair.

“Aren’t you more comfortable like this?” Will countered.

Hannibal shook his head. “I’m comfortable with a suit on. They’re not such a nuisance to wear when they fit well.”

Will shrugged. “I guess it’s just weird. You’re so formal. With your meals, too—I know you cook all your fancy dishes when you’re on your own, too, not just when there’s someone to impress.”

“It’s something I’m used to, at this point. It would be uncomfortable not to live up to my own standards.”

“Yeah, no, I get it. It’s just funny how your casual is about ten degrees more elevated than my formal. I don’t even wanna know what your formal looks like,” he said with a chuckle.

Hannibal smirked. “You’re more than welcome to my next dinner party, if you ever get curious.”

“You’ll be the first to know if I ever go _that_ crazy.”

Hannibal smiled, open and comfortable, and closed his eyes as he touched their foreheads together again, hand still rubbing right above Will’s neck.

They were quiet for a while, and Will savored every second of it. He couldn’t deny that for once it felt good to be this close to an alpha, to Hannibal. He felt soft and warm and cozy, and he was sure he’d fall asleep if he didn’t move anytime soon.

He nudged his head lower until he could scent Hannibal’s neck. His scent was pleasant, like most alpha smells, but he couldn’t quite describe it. No other smell of a flower or a chemical or anything else had quite matched the scent a person had for him, no matter how much other people claimed they carried the smell of mint, or chocolate, or jasmine.

“You smell nice,” he murmured, unsure what else to say.

“Thank you,” Hannibal said. “So do you.”

“Do you believe that scents can affect us even before we mate?”

Hannibal hesitated. “Did you want to confirm that I liked yours before you asked me this?” he asked, and Will rolled his eyes.

“I told you that I like yours, too, that doesn’t mean I wanna bite you. I was just curious.”

“In that case, I do not. There is no study that proves that the way a person smells has anything to do with the sort of mate they would be.”

Will hummed, both in agreement and in enjoyment of Hannibal’s fingers massaging his scalp. “It’s a very romantic notion,” he pointed out.

“And that means I should agree with it?”

“I dunno. You’re the most romantic person I know. I thought if anyone believed it, it would be you.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint.”

“S’okay. No one’s perfect,” Will said and took a breath of him again. He felt Hannibal reach for his hand and let him twine their fingers together, resting their hands on Hannibal’s thigh.

_This is so easy,_ Will thought, and it made him ache a little. He let himself enjoy it for a moment before he sighed.

“I have to go soon.”

“You sound reluctant,” Hannibal said.

“This is really nice,” Will admitted. “But I have to go back to my dogs.”

“Aren’t they taken care of for the night?”

“They are,” Will said “I just… I don’t like leaving them. They get lonely.” They’d gotten him through it every time he’d felt the same. The least he could do was return the favor. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do if I have to move in here,” he mumbled against Hannibal’s shoulder.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m gonna miss them,” Will said simply, then realized his mistake, his eyes squeezing shut in embarrassment. “Oh, hell. I was thinking that maybe I could move in here at some point, or at least pretend to, while we were doing this,” he explained. “I’m sorry, I know I didn’t even mention it to you, you can forget I ever said anything.”

It took Hannibal a moment to reply, and when he did, he ignored Will’s babbling completely. “Will. Did you really think I would separate you from your dogs?”

Will’s head shot up so he could look at him. “You’d let me bring them here?” he asked, incredulous.

“Of course.”

“My dogs. All of them. In your house.”

“They’re well trained, aren’t they?”

“There’s seven of them.”

“That is true.”

“You’d let me bring them here,” Will repeated.

“Yes.”

“My _seven_ dogs, Hannibal.”

“Your _seven_ dogs, William.”

Will let out a laugh. He felt shaky. He probably looked half in love already.

Lost for words, he gently pulled Hannibal’s face closer and pressed a kiss to his cheek, then another. Hannibal smiled and rubbed their noses together, wrapping his arms around Will’s shoulders. He didn’t pull away for a long minute.

“You seem reluctant to let me go,” Will teased.

“This is nice,” Hannibal retorted. “I like being in your arms.”

“Now _that’s_ awfully romantic.”

Hannibal’s reply to that is another nip to his jaw. Will bit his lip against a grin.

It hadn’t really occurred to him that this could be real for Hannibal, but with each day it seemed more and more unlikely that Hannibal would do any of this for a reason other than that he wanted to. He’d jumped into it too readily, which meant that he could really have been interested in Will for a while—not that he’d ever tell Beverly he thought that was the case. Why hadn’t he just tried to court him, then?

The reply came to his mind in Hannibal’s voice, and quickly— _Where’s the fun in that?_

Will would have probably rejected him if he’d revealed his intentions outright. Now that they’d become apparent through their game, it was easier to accept them, and act on them in a way that seemed innocent, while being still gratifying.

What was left to discover was who was going to break first and admit they weren’t playing anymore.

It certainly wouldn’t be Will.

He really, really didn’t want to go, but suddenly aware of these new rules, he knew he couldn’t let himself linger too long.

So he went.

If, later that night, he thought of Hannibal’s weight on him, of his sent in Will’s nose and his teeth on Will’s skin, and if he had to bite his palm to muffle certain noises that would have worried his dogs, no one had to know.

He could certainly pretend it never happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wish i had something cheerful to say here but i don’t have the words to say how miserable i feel and i wish i could see a way out of it but i just don't
> 
> i hope it didn't bleed into the chapter and it was still enjoyable. sorry if i don't update for a while. alternatively, sorry if i update tomorrow and this note was for nothing.
> 
> everyone who commented, thank you for being so kind when i need it the most. i fully realize i’m not that good of a writer (i know most of what i write is cringy) but fic has been the only thing that has made me feel better so knowing i’m not wasting time in posting it means a lot


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don’t know how to thank everyone for your comments on the latest chapter – i am overwhelmed by your kindness.
> 
> i felt bad for writing that note after posting it, but truth be told, i needed the encouragement all of you gave me. it’s still tough, it will be for a long time, but i don’t feel as alone as i did before, for which i am more grateful than i could ever express.
> 
> from the bottom of my heart, thank you. 
> 
> cw for this chapter: brief mention of violence against children

The weekends were the only days they didn’t see each other. They’d agreed that since Will didn’t have any other business in town, it didn’t make a lot of sense for him to make the trip just so they could have dinner when they were already spending so much time together.

That was why Will startled when his phone rang late on Sunday afternoon.

“Hello?” he answered, cradling his phone between his ear and shoulder while he tinkered with an old radio his neighbor—he lived nearby at least, if not right next to Will’s little island of a house—had asked him to take a look at and see if he could fix.

“Will,” Hannibal said, and the fact that there was no urgency in his tone calmed Will. Nothing was wrong. “How are you?”

“I’m good. Everything alright with you?” he asked anyway, just to make sure.

“Yes.”

He didn’t say anything else immediately, and Will frowned. “Did you call just to say hi?”

“I might have,” Hannibal replied, and Will smiled. “I know I will see you soon, but I find myself missing your company.”

Will felt himself flush. “It’s only been two days.”

“It will be three when I see you tomorrow. That’s entirely too long.”

Will didn’t know how to reply to that, so he didn’t. “You could always have someone else over. I’ve left you little opportunity to dine with your other friends.”

“I haven’t sought the opportunity. No other guest could quite measure up to you.”

Will left the radio and screwdriver on his desk, not trusting his hands to stay steady. “I’m offended on Alana’s behalf.”

Hannibal chuckled, the sound traveling through Will and settling somewhere low in his belly. “As much as I enjoy being in her company, I doubt she would like it very much if I sat in her lap.”

 _I wouldn’t like it, either,_ Will thought. He cleared his throat. “That’s the kind of company you’re missing, then?”

Hannibal hummed. Will knew—he knew Hannibal was probably on his desk, or on his couch, in his kitchen. He definitely wasn’t lounging in his bed, relaxing with a hand slowly going over his sensitive skin in a caress, calming the shivers Will’s voice sent over it.

He knew this wasn’t what was happening, but that didn’t stop him from imagining it.

“I did have something to ask you,” Hannibal said after a pause.

“Yeah?”

“I have tickets to the opera this Thursday. I know it’s sort of short notice, and not something you do often, but I wondered if you would join me.”

It was kind of short notice. Hannibal must have bought the tickets a while ago—why hadn’t he asked before? Why was he asking now?

Will felt his good mood dissipate as he replayed their conversation thus far in his mind. “You didn’t have to butter me up, you know. The killer could be someone from the opera, I would have come to take a look anyway.”

Hannibal took a moment to reply. “Of course,” he said. There was no change in his tone, but Will still felt a sting in his words. “You will come for dinner tomorrow?”

“Sure,” Will said.

There was another pause before Hannibal spoke again. “Goodbye, Will.”

“Bye.”

He hung up, feeling like an ass, and continued his work on the radio.

He definitely did not go over the conversation again and again, wondering if Hannibal actually felt something for him or not. If he did, then Will had made it sound like he didn’t share those feelings, that he was only spending time with Hannibal for the case. If he didn’t, then Will was the biggest fool in the world for mistaking his acting for anything genuine.

The question didn’t occupy his mind for the rest of the day. It didn’t leave him grumpy and less patient with his dogs and unwilling to make something better than a sandwich for dinner. It didn’t make him turn in bed until way too late, unable to find a position that didn’t poke at the weight settled in his chest.

It didn’t.

*

It was almost a blessing that Jack needed him in Maine for the atrocity that came up the next day. He wondered if he should call Hannibal before he settled for a text.

_I’m going out of state with Jack today, maybe for a couple of days_

**_Will you be back before Thursday?_ **

_I honestly don’t know. Don’t let me ruin your plans_

**_You won’t. Would you like me to feed your dogs while you’re away?_ **

Will had been thinking of calling Alana to ask her.

_Please_

It was a couple of hours before he got Hannibal’s next text.

**_Please stay safe and let me know when you get back._ **

Just reading it made Will feel like shit.

_I will_

The case was the exact opposite of a blessing. Children being hurt was never something Will handled well—not that he handled any of the work well. He handled it just enough not to fall apart, and he was suddenly feeling very aware of the fact that he and Hannibal had abandoned his therapy altogether. All because Will felt good around him and thought that maybe that could be enough.

He really felt like a damn fool.

“You okay?” Jack asked him, and Will nodded. Jack looked shaken, too—though he didn’t have children of his own, Will knew he felt extra protective of them. “We’re gonna get him.”

“Yeah.”

“I heard there’s a couple of other cases they wanted you to take a look at while you’re here,” Jack said, and Will huffed. “If you want to,” he allowed. Wouldn’t want to have him busy if Jack needed him elsewhere.

What Will wanted was to go home and curl up on Hannibal’s couch, preferably with the man himself wrapped around him, but he didn’t feel like he was in a position to make that sort of request at the moment.

“I’ll see what I can do,” he said.

It was Wednesday evening when he finally got home, dogs piling on top of him in greeting. He gave them all a good pet and accepted their kisses before he remembered to get his phone out and text Hannibal.

_I’m home_

**_I’m glad to hear it. Are you well?_ **

_Yes, thank you. For taking care of the dogs too_

**_It was no problem. I left your ticket on your nightstand, just in case._ **

Will looked at the table to see it was true.

**_There’s also a meal in your fridge, should be satisfactory if reheated._ **

Will stared at his phone, still kneeling next to his bag, trying to think of something to say that wasn’t _I love you._

_Don’t trust me to even cook for myself anymore?_

**_The contents of said fridge were appalling, and I doubted you’d be in the mood for grocery shopping on your way back._ **

Will chuckled.

_You weren’t wrong_

He thought of Hannibal, bringing a meal every day, then taking it back the next day when Will hadn’t come home. He was sure he’d brought one on Monday too, before he’d ever seen that Will wouldn’t have much to eat when he came back.

_Thank you. I’ll see you at the opera house tomorrow?_

**_Could we meet earlier?_ **

_Sorry, I have lectures and I’ll swing by home before I come. I promise I won’t be late_

**_Of course. I’ll see you there._ **

_Good night_

**_Good night, Will._ **

*

The next morning, he was a mix of anxiety and excitement. He couldn’t wait to see Hannibal; despite his doubts, he had missed him. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if Hannibal had no romantic feelings for him after all.

He’d almost convinced himself of it when he entered the hall for his first lecture of the day.

The whole room went quiet when he walked in. It was odd enough to have him look around—he wasn’t exactly known to be a laid back lecturer, but usually his students had no problem chatting amongst themselves while he was getting ready to begin. But now, all eyes were on him, and he felt irritation creep up his spine before he turned to his desk and stopped in his tracks.

He made himself walk towards it almost immediately, but he knew his hesitation had still been apparent. A vase with what he could only describe as a _ridiculous_ amount of roses stood there, waiting for him, and he knew the students had spent the last couple of minutes gossiping about how it’d gotten there.

Once he reached his desk, he allowed himself to touch one of the roses’ petals. Of course they were real—did he expect anything else? The vase looked like something you could find in Hannibal’s home, dark and beautifully ornamented, and he spared a second to wonder whether Hannibal actually brought it from his home, or if he’d bought it just for this. Had he arranged this himself? Will wasn’t sure a flower delivery service would actually reach his desk, or if they’d have to leave any gifts at the entrance of the building.

He carefully removed the vase from its spotlight at the center of his desk to the side of it, and he noticed there was a note placed underneath it. He picked it up—a small square of a card that fit in his palm—and heard the whispers that inspired behind him. He didn’t need his imagination to know what they were talking about – how romantic it was to be surprised that way, to have some words of love hidden underneath the vase so that they reached Will and no one else.

Will half expected to find some sort of joke on there before he read the beautiful script.

_If three days was too long,  
_ _six is torture, darling._

Will brought the note to his lips to hide his smile, and realized his mistake when he heard the little _awww_ that came from somewhere behind him. He couldn’t quite regret it when the proximity let him take in the scent of the paper. Of course Hannibal perfumed it. Why did Will ever doubt him?

Will composed himself and put the note in his breast pocket before he moved behind his desk and started to get ready. When he chanced a glance at the students, he saw more than one of them smiling, and he didn’t have the heart to glare their cheer away. He looked down with a private little smile—they probably wouldn’t see him in such a good mood ever again. Might as well let them savor it.

He cleared his throat and began the lecture, the subject of it grim enough to have his students’ seriousness take its place once again.

When he finished, the clack of heels approaching his desk did more to tell the students that they were free to go than Will shutting his laptop. Alana came to him with a calm smile, stopping just before his desk and glancing at the bouquet before she took a better look at him, always attentive to his wellbeing.

It probably wasn’t the best idea to have an alpha friend visit him right after his students had witnessed him being on the receiving end of a dramatic romantic gesture, but he tried to smile at her, anyway.

“Hey, Alana.”

“Hi, Will.”

She eyed the roses again.

“They’re from—”

“I know who they’re from,” she interrupted, and he was grateful, because he had no idea how to finish that sentence. But then…

“You know?”

She nodded. “He politely asked me to leave them at your desk.”

As if there was anything polite about asking a potential rival alpha to assist you in courting your omega. “What did he say?”

She shrugged. “Nothing I wouldn’t expect from a posturing alpha.”

“Posturing? _Hannibal_ _?_ ” He couldn’t even imagine it. He’d been so soft, so sweet; it seemed ridiculous he’d be anything but composed in front of others.

Unless it was all an act, after all.

“I guess you bring it out in him,” Alana said and took the vase off his hands so he could adjust the straps of his bag as they walked out.

Will huffed. “Not a glowing recommendation for my influence of him.”

“It is, actually,” she argued. “He wouldn’t go around staking his claim on you if he wasn’t serious about you.”

“You think that’s what he’s doing?”

He felt her eyes boring into his temple as they walked. “When I expressed concern for the nature of your relationship, he told me that if I wanted you this much, I should have done the smart thing and courted you myself instead of rejecting you.”

Will stopped in his tracks, face heating up in embarrassment as he turned to her. “He didn’t.”

“He very much did.”

Will hid his face in his palm. “I’m gonna kill him.”

Alana laughed softly and patted his arm. “That’s very mild as far as alpha threats go, believe me. He even managed to make it not sound like one.”

Will imagined Hannibal actually threatening Alana and feels mildly sick. “He shouldn’t have said it. You shouldn’t have agreed to his little stunt if he was being such an asshole.”

She shrugged. “I thought it would make you happy.”

He frowned. “It did. But I’m not happy with _him_ right now.”

“Are you seeing him today?”

“Tonight, yeah. We’re going to the opera.”

She quirked an eyebrow. “You’re going to the opera?”

“I’ll have you know I’m a very cultured young omega. I’m definitely not going just so I can meet all of my—my alpha’s friends,” he said, and Alana laughed despite his little stumble. “He’d be lucky if I don’t make a scene in front of all of them.”

“I have a feeling he’d actually love it if you did that.”

Will rolled his eyes. “He loves everything I do,” he said, then scrunched up his face. “That was a weird thing to complain about. I have an alpha who’s”— _allegedly_ —“so into me that I can do no wrong in his eyes. Poor me.”

Alana smiled and tilted her head to the side. “You’re really happy with him, aren’t you?”

“I… Yeah. I think I am,” he said. “I know you don’t approve. He’s not _really_ my psychiatrist.”

She gave him an unimpressed look. “He was helping you, and he can’t do that now, not in a professional capacity. Of course he can support you as your mate, but you need to resume your therapy with someone else.”

“Are you volunteering?”

She laughed. “Right. He got all peacocky when he was reminded we were friends, how do you think he’s gonna react if you give me access to some of your most private thoughts?”

“He’ll get over it.”

Alana raised her eyebrows. “Would you actually be open to having sessions with me?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe.”

Her expression softened. “I’ll always be here if you need me, Will. But if you decide you’d want to see someone else, I could give you recommendations, too.”

“As long as it’s not Frederick Chilton,” he said, and she gave him a look that said, _As if I would ever_.

“Let’s have lunch soon,” she said, and he nodded. “I’ll call you.” She gave him a quick hug and left, and he headed for his office to leave the vase there until it was time to go.

Back home, he got his best suit out, glad that he’d had it cleaned before he last put it away. He would have had to ask Hannibal to do it for him otherwise, and he stupidly wanted to surprise him with the way he looked tonight.

Not that he was anything special. He made a bit of an effort to tame his hair and trimmed his beard, but while he did clean up nicely, he doubted anyone but Hannibal would look at him twice.

Not that he needed anyone but Hannibal’s attention. He had a feeling even that would be too much for him—that was, if everything was okay between them and Hannibal didn’t decide to keep his distance after the short and broken conversations they’d shared last.

Will caught sight of the bouquet of roses and stopped at the door. He walked to the table and took one of the buds in his hand, considering. Before he could think better of it, he cut it off the stem and stuck it in his lapel.

There were probably rules about this sort of thing, about what kind of flower you should wear for different occasions. His occasion was seeing his potential alpha for the first time in a week, so he decided a flower that was a gift from him was appropriate enough.

_Look at me. I’m willing to look like a complete dumbass for you._

He was a bundle of nerves during the drive, but he managed not to crash and arrived on time somehow. He climbed the stairs and looked around the large foyer, looking for Hannibal.

He spotted him almost immediately. He had a group of people around him, of course, all soaking up every word of his—of course. Will started walking towards him slowly, imagining himself awkwardly patting his arm to announce his presence, then standing at his side and smiling awkwardly as everyone around them wondered what the fuck Hannibal had seen in him.

He didn’t have the chance to do any of that.

Hannibal’s head turned to the door, and the moment he saw him he stopped talking. A crease on his brow that Will hadn’t noticed flattened, his whole face brightening. He left his champagne glass to the side and said something to his companions quickly before he started making his way towards Will, looking at him like he was the only thing in the room that mattered.

Will was shaky when they finally met, and he couldn’t stop himself from wrapping his arms around Hannibal’s neck once he could reach him. Hannibal reciprocated immediately, pressing Will into himself as if he’d stop them from ever being separated again if only he got him close enough. Will took in his scent, deep and unmarred by cologne, and felt all the stress of the past week melt away the longer he stayed in his arms.

“I missed you,” he mumbled against Hannibal’s ear. He would have regretted it if it hadn’t made Hannibal press a small, chaste kiss to the bare skin of his neck.

“And I you,” he replied, pulling back to look at Will, cupping his face in his hands. “Though that much was obvious, I think,” he added, a satisfied little smirk playing on his lips as his fingers brushed over the rose in his lapel. “Did you like your surprise?”

“Yes,” Will said. “And no.” At Hannibal’s confusion, he continued, “Was it worth it being a dick to Alana just for the gesture?”

Hannibal winced. “Not my best moment, I admit.”

“Not your _best?_ Hannibal, it was unacceptable,” he said, and he realized he was clutching at the lapels of Hannibal’s jacket. He let go and smoothed them over, taking a deep breath through his nose.

Hannibal caught his hands in his own and brought them to his lips, pressing a kiss to the knuckles of each. “Will you forgive me, my love?”

Will shook his head. “It’s not my forgiveness you should be asking for.”

“Yours is the only one I care about.”

Will rolled his eyes. “You’ll apologize nonetheless,” he said firmly, and Hannibal’s eyes sparkled.

“Yes, sir,” he whispered, leaning in to nuzzle Will’s cheek, his words setting Will aflame.

He nipped at Hannibal’s jaw, which made him pull back and look at him with surprised delight.

“My gossipy students have better manners than you, you know.”

Hannibal shrugged, gently tucking one of Will’s curls back into place. “Your gossipy students don’t have another alpha threatening their claim on the omega they’re courting.”

“Pretending to be courting,” Will corrected, and Hannibal quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Am I?”

Before he could reply, there was a buzz around the room as the doors to the hall opened and people started being ushered inside. Hannibal grabbed his hand and led him forward, and Will followed after him, dizzy.

Being together was one thing, but Hannibal going through an honest to God, traditional courting was not something Will could wrap his head around. He seemed to be going way too fast, already offering gifts—the flowers and the antique vase, the opera ticket, _all the fucking food_ —wasn’t it too early for all of that? They were supposed to spend more time together before they ever—oh. _Oh._

Will barely noticed the few people who did give him funny looks when they saw clutching at Hannibal’s hand, gears in his brain too busy turning double speed.

Few people bothered with courting these days—it was much easier to be outright and not waste your time preparing to court someone who might not even be interested. Because it took months, he knew, for alphas to even hint at their intentions towards their chosen one. After that followed an intricate set of rituals to make the pair more comfortable around each other, all of which they’d gone through—under the pretense of pretending. If Hannibal was already fine with giving him gifts and staking his claim in front of others, then he’d made the decision back when—back when—

“When we met in Jack’s office,” Will said, pulling Hannibal to a stop. “You’re kidding, right?” Hannibal just looked at him, face unreadable. “That means… Ever since you saw me. But you couldn’t have. I was an asshole. And we didn’t even know anything about each other. That just doesn’t happen,” he rambled on. “Soulmates don’t exist.” He’d heard the fairy tales, everyone had, of an alpha and omega knowing they were meant for each other as soon as they laid eyes on each other.

“I never said I believed in soulmates,” Hannibal said calmly. “All I know is that I met you, and I knew I wanted you in my life, in one way or another.” He smiled and caressed his cheek. “Call me shallow for immediately falling for your beauty.”

“Shut up,” Will said, burying his face in Hannibal’s neck to hide his embarrassment. “How long were you going to wait before you told me you were actually doing this?”

“I thought I was being rather obvious.” He put his hand on the small of Will’s back and steered him forward again.  

“I thought you were pretending.”

“Now you know,” he replied. Will heard the rest without him having to say it.

_Never doubt me again._


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i should rename this fic to "how many times can i get away with writing will blushing because of hannibal"
> 
> i know it's not the best decision to post today, but i thought there might be someone else who's all alone tonight like i am and who could use it. 
> 
> whenever you read this, happy new year! i hope 2019 brings you joy and peace ♥
> 
> cw for this chapter: there's some unwanted attention aimed towards will but it's dealt with quickly

As they took their seats, Will couldn’t stifle a sigh.

Hannibal looked at him with a small smile. “You might actually end up enjoying yourself, you know.”

“I might enjoy the music if I listen to it at home,” Will countered. He took Hannibal’s hand in his own and squeezed it before he could reply. “This is for you, okay? I’ll have to wait until it’s over before I can be useful, but you don’t have to worry about that part of it at all. Just enjoy the performance.”

Hannibal frowned at him. “I don’t have to worry about you mingling with potential killers?” he asked quietly.

“Did you forget what I do for a living?”

Hannibal looked away and murmured, “Not for a single moment.”

If he’d been opposed to Will getting into the minds of killers as a friend, how did he feel about it now, as his potential mate?

Will looked at him, and when Hannibal didn’t turn around to face him again, he stifled another sigh and held Hannibal’s hand between both of his own. He leaned his head on Hannibal’s shoulder and they waited in silence for the performance to start.

*

After the show, they filed out of the hall along with everyone else, Hannibal’s hand on the small of his back.

“Feel free to get yourself a drink,” he said and kissed his temple. “I’ll be with you in a moment.”

Will didn’t need encouragement to find his way to a glass of champagne. It wasn’t his first choice of drink, especially when he was about to cross into the enemy’s front line without Hannibal by his side, but he needed something to sip on as he scanned the room. He didn’t see anyone suspicious-looking, but then again, he didn’t expect to. Martin Nelson had been a surgeon quite popular among the socialites, and Will imagined he was the topic of more than one conversation tonight. He wondered what the patrons would all act like if they were aware that it could have been one of their own who had done the deed.

He was leaning on a column, which was probably not entirely appropriate, but it wasn’t manners that made him stand up straight. It was an alpha approaching him, a smile on his face that Will knew far too well.

“Good evening,” the stranger said, voice low, and Will gave him barely a glance before he directed his attention away again.

“Evening.”

“What’s your name, little one?”

Will blinked up at him. The man was around his age, and besides being taller, he wasn’t that much larger than Will. Making himself appear smaller usually suited him well, but was apparently useless against people who were determined to notice him, whether he liked it or not. “Will,” he said quietly, thinking it’d be bad manners to tell him to fuck off.

The man was silent for a moment, then tilted his head to the side. “Don’t you wanna know mine?”

“Not really, no,” Will replied, and the man laughed as if he’d made a joke.

“Did you come alone tonight?”

“No,” Will said, taking a sip to stifle the urge to add, _not that it’s any of your damn business._

“That’s interesting,” the man said, and out of the corner of his eye Will saw him sip on his own drink. “Why would your alpha leave you all alone at a place like this?”

Will closed his eyes and searched for a shred of patience deep inside himself.

He found none.

“He assumed _a place like this_ was civilized enough to let him take a piss without having some idiot harass me meanwhile,” he said and took another sip. “Sad to see that he was wrong.” He turned his head and saw Hannibal coming his way. “You might wanna fuck off if you know what’s good for you.”

He tried to relax as Hannibal came up to him, wrapping his arms around him.

“Did you miss me?” Hannibal murmured, nuzzling into his cheek. He’d definitely noticed the man Will was talking to, but he was doing his best to act like he wasn’t there, probably assuming he’d just been making conversation in Hannibal’s absence. Will hoped it stayed that way.

“The whole three minutes you were gone?” he asked and pressed to him, smiling as he got his arm around Hannibal’s neck. “Terribly,” he whispered and hugged him close.

Letting Hannibal anywhere near his neck was apparently the wrong thing to do.

He took a deep breath through his nose and immediately pulled away to give him a hard look. It took him all of two seconds to assess what was wrong and he turned to the stranger. The man turned a little pale, apparently recognizing who he was dealing with.

Will winced. “Hannibal—”

“What did he do?” Hannibal asked, tone deceptively calm, not looking at Will even as he addressed him.

“Nothing,” Will said, and he shivered at the growl that started rumbling in Hannibal’s chest. It was a low sound, but it still managed to get a few heads to turn in their direction.

“You wouldn’t be so uncomfortable if it was nothing,” Hannibal said, voice rough; his hands were clenched into fists, as if he was barely restraining himself from grabbing the other man by the throat.

“Hannibal, it’s nothing. I was more annoyed than hurt,” he said, but Hannibal still wouldn’t turn to him. “Alpha,” he tried, and his cheeks warmed at how high his voice came out. It worked, though, and Hannibal’s head snapped in his direction, his wild eyes focusing solely on him. “Just stay close to me,” he said and Hannibal didn’t resist when Will pulled him closer again. “He knows better than to anger you.” He’d meant to say it louder, maybe scare the other alpha off, but it came out in a murmur, muffled against Hannibal’s jaw.

His words made Hannibal growl again, Will feeling the echo of it in his own chest where they were pressed together. Hannibal looked like he wanted nothing else but to press his lips against Will’s, show everyone who exactly his alpha was, but even now he was aware of the one rule Will had imposed that first night in Hannibal’s home.

Instead of kissing him, he nuzzled hard into his cheek, into his neck. Will knew Hannibal’s mouth would be red afterwards, unseemly, burning with the scratch of his beard, but he just leaned back against the column and closed his eyes, unable to bring himself to stop him. Where another alpha would keep posturing, bite at his neck, do anything to stake his claim for other alphas to see, Hannibal found his peace by covering _himself_ in Will’s scent, making sure everyone knew who he was dedicated to.

Will had no idea how long that lasted, and barely kept from letting out a frustrated sound when Hannibal pulled away. He turned to see what’d gotten his attention and sighed when he saw the stranger trying to slip away unnoticed.

“I knew you weren’t about to run without apologizing,” Hannibal said, voice calmer than before.

“Well, you seemed rather busy,” the stranger said, and Will thought that if something could make Hannibal lose his cool, it would be rudeness such as this. He didn’t think that decking another alpha was entirely acceptable in his book usually, but things were different when your protective instincts took over.

Hannibal just glared and the man clenched his jaw.

“I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t know he wasn’t single.” 

“That wouldn’t have made a difference, asshole,” Will said, and the man gave him a distasteful look.

Hannibal brought him to his side with a hand on his waist and nodded. “It’s him you owe your apology to.”

“I’m sorry,” the man said to Will, not meaning it one bit. Will nodded in acknowledgement, wanting to be rid of him. He leaned against Hannibal, who pressed a kiss to the top of his head. He twined their fingers together and led Will to a spot that was less crowded.

“Are you alright?” he asked, and Will huffed.

“As hot as it was having you get all protective of me, it’s still annoying that they’ll listen to you over me every time.”

A deep frown dug into Hannibal’s features. “I’m sorry.”

Will shook his head and tried for a smile. “It’s fine. You’ve been spoiling me, I could use the reminder that you’re the exception and not the rule when it comes to alphas.”

Hannibal wasn’t amused, but he didn’t comment on it further. “Mr. Scott has been a nuisance before, but I’ve never seen comfortable enough to be this disrespectful before. It might be a good idea to talk to the staff so that they know he’s not suited for the company here.”

“Or any company,” he said, and Hannibal nodded. “How do you know him?”

“I’ve met him here before. He’s a photographer, loves rubbing elbows with the other patrons so he can get his next gig at someone important’s child’s birthday party. I took his card so that I knew whose services to avoid in the future,” Hannibal explained, and Will chuckled.  

He looked around the room. “People are staring at us.”

Will knew Hannibal didn’t take his eyes off him when he replied, “They are.”

“I don’t blame them, honestly,” Will said before Hannibal could continue. “You’ve kind of turned their world around.”

“What do you mean?”

Will shrugged and finally looked at him to see his reaction. “They’re used to imagining you fucking them. Now hey have to picture you fucking me.”

They didn’t strictly _have_ to picture anything, or _fucking_ of all things, but the nerves and annoyance and the lack of proper meals these last couple of days and the champagne made for a dangerous combination when it came to Will trying to change the subject to a lighter one.

Hannibal seemed to think the same, eyes wavering to Will’s drink. Will suspected he’d reach for it, but Hannibal just shook his head lightly. “Maybe they’re picturing you fucking them.”

Something quite akin to joy filled Will’s chest. “Doctor Lecter!” he exclaimed, scandalized. “I didn’t think you were physically able to cuss!”

Hannibal huffed. “You wouldn’t be the first to make that assumption. At a similar event, someone had the audacity to ask my partner at the time whether I swore in bed.”

“That’s preposterous,” Will said and took a sip. “Do you?”

Hannibal gave him an exasperated look. “I’m afraid that’s knowledge you’ll have to acquire for yourself.”

Even though he’d been the one to bring up the possibility of them _fucking,_ Will stupidly felt himself flush at Hannibal’s insinuation. “Well, now you’ve got me curious.”

“Curiosity killed the cat,” Hannibal warned, predictable as never.

“And satisfaction brought it back,” Will retorted, waggling his eyebrows.

“Are you implying that I can fuck you dead, then fuck you back to life?”

Will clutched at Hannibal’s lapel. “Stop saying _fuck,_ ” he begged in a whisper, face hurting from his grin.

“My, my,” Hannibal murmured and pulled Will closer by the waist. “I don’t want to be the one to tell you this, my love, but it would appear that you’re _enjoying yourself_.”

Will rolled his eyes. “That’s entirely your fault.”

“Is it?” Hannibal asked, eyeing Will’s glass again.

“ _Yes,_ darling,” Will replied, and immediately took a sip to wash down the endearment. They suited Hannibal just fine, but the word sounded wrong coming out of his mouth. “I’m sorry. I’m never calling you that again.”

Hannibal chuckled and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “No need to worry. The attempt alone was cute enough.”

“Cute?” Will sputtered, but Hannibal shushed him gently as a couple approached them.

“Hannibal!” the woman said, and Hannibal let Will go long enough to kiss her cheek and shake the man’s hand. “It’s been a while.”

“It has, indeed,” Hannibal said, taking Will’s hand again. “Will, this is Mr. and Mrs. Komeda, they are dear friends of mine.” Will blinked, finally putting her vaguely familiar face to the name of the author whose novels he’d never gotten to.

“It’s a pleasure meeting you,” he said, and the couple smiled at him.

“You too, Will,” Mrs. Komeda said. “It’s good to know there’s a reason Hannibal hasn’t thrown one of his supposedly spectacular dinner parties recently.”

Hannibal raised an eyebrow. “Supposedly?”

She shrugged, but there was a playful sparkle in her eye. “It’s been so long, Hannibal, I’m beginning to forget.” Mr. Komeda sighed. Will didn’t miss the way he was standing behind instead of beside her, comfortable letting her speak for both of them. She turned back to him and gave him a soft smile. “John here isn’t one for parties,” she explained, “he only endures them for my sake.”

“I can understand that,” Will said before he could stop himself, and they shared a little laugh. He really felt the depth of that understanding between them when their apparent good mood encouraged others to join their little group. Too many voices, too many names, too many scents. He tried to make himself look, but most of the people around him didn’t fit the profile—most of them betas, and not a single omega in sight.

When an omega finally did join them, the man wasn’t exactly what Will would call dangerous.

He thought it was weird when Hannibal wouldn’t reveal where he knew Franklyn from, but it all became clear when Franklyn let everyone know he was one of his patients. It wouldn’t do for Hannibal to reveal the nature of their relationship, that was entirely up to Franklyn, and he’d been quick to reveal that he was _something_ to Hannibal. Will didn’t miss the way his eyes bounced to him in-between his soaking up every word of Hannibal’s. Will almost pitied him.

Then Franklyn turned to him with a cordial smile and asked, “And how did you meet Doctor Lecter?”

Will turned to Hannibal, who was looking at him with affection, as if they’d been made to recall the story many times.

“Will works closely with the head of the Behavioral Science Unit at the FBI,” he said, and Will might have appreciated him bursting with pride at the announcement if it didn’t make all eyes turn to him in surprise. He nearly scolded Hannibal, but then he realized what he was doing and turned his attention to Franklyn. He didn’t look apprehensive, just a little sour at the idea of Hannibal holding Will in such high regard, but he was polite enough not to let his emotions show too clearly. His friend, however… Budge? Something shifted in his quiet demeanor, and Will didn’t appreciate the way Budge measured him with his gaze. “Agent Crawford needed a second opinion on a profile, and my colleague, Dr. Alana Bloom, recommended me,” Hannibal continued without a pause. “We had a bit of a rocky start,” he added with a smile.

“I wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of working close with a psychiatrist,” Will jumped in. “I don’t like people trying to get inside my head, and they can never help it,” he added, chuckles scattering among their company.

“On our second meeting, he told me he didn’t find me interesting,” Hannibal said and looked at him with a fond smile. “I’m afraid that doomed him to my endless attempts at getting his attention.”

Will laughed at that, wondering if he’d really been that affected. Did it bruise his ego, pushing Hannibal to earn his affection, or had he really been decided on that from the start?

“Once I got that, attention simply wasn’t enough. I had to have him all to myself,” Hannibal added, and the heat in his eyes made Will’s cheeks flush.

“You do,” he said quietly. “I’m yours.”

“As I belong to you and no one else,” Hannibal said, voice low, and this time it was Will who got close to breaking his no-making-out-in-public rule.

They said their goodbyes soon after, and Hannibal held him close in front of the opera house as the rest of the patrons made their way to their cars.

“Would you like to come back home with me?” he asked, fingers running through Will’s hair.

Will didn’t know what he meant by the question. At the beginning of the night, he’d imagined they’d go back for a glass of wine, maybe Hannibal would get something for Will to snack on if he wouldn’t be allowed to serve him a proper meal. But now, knowing their relationship wasn’t at all platonic… The invitation could mean many other things. They weren’t at that stage in the courtship, so maybe Hannibal’s intentions were entirely innocent, but then again, maybe he didn’t mind breaking a few of his own rules once in a while.

Will wouldn’t mind it, either. But…

“Not tonight,” he said. “It was a bit too much,” he admitted, and Hannibal looked at him with worry.

“I didn’t think it would be that bad for you,” he said, and Will shook his head.

“It wouldn’t have been, any other time,” he said. “But after this week… I just need to recharge, that’s all.”

“How was work? Did you manage to catch your killer?”

“No, they’re still looking for him.”

“You did all you could do to help,” Hannibal said, and when Will nodded, he pulled him in a hug, kissing his temple. “You need to rest, darling. I don’t like how your work leaves you.”

Will frowned and pulled away. “You don’t get to keep me from my job just because you’re my alpha now, Hannibal.”

He rolled his eyes at the satisfied look that came over Hannibal’s face upon Will calling him his. “I wouldn’t dare,” he promised. “But I must insist that you take better care for yourself, or let me take care of you.”

“What, you’re gonna come home with me and tuck me in yourself?”

“If I must,” Hannibal said, resolute, and Will had to kiss his cheek.

“Ridiculous,” he whispered, and Hannibal rubbed their noses together. “You know, you sounded pretty proud of the work I do when it gave you reason to flaunt me in front of others.”

“I can be proud of your achievements and realize they take a toll on you at the same time,” Hannibal said. “And I didn’t like the thought of anyone in there not acknowledging your worth,” he admitted.

Will softened a little. “Did you notice your patient’s friend?”

“Mr. Budge?” Will hummed. “He’s a quiet one,” Hannibal said, and Will huffed.

“Is that all you have to say?”

“What I know about him, I’ve heard from Franklyn, and it would be unethical to discuss it with you,” he said. “But I would love to hear your opinion.”

“I don’t have one,” Will said. “Not yet.” He thought for a moment. “Would you be opposed to inviting them to your next dinner party?” At Hannibal’s raised eyebrow, he added, “The other option for me to get to know them would be a double date.”

Hannibal’s lips curled in distaste at the idea before he smiled. “As long as it brings _you_ to my party, darling.”

Will let out a heavy sigh. “Guess I finally lost my mind completely,” he said.

In the quiet moment that followed, he didn’t miss the way Hannibal’s gaze kept fluttering between his eyes and his lips, and he couldn’t help but grin. “I had a great time tonight,” he said cheerfully and kissed Hannibal’s cheek before he stepped away from him and headed for his car. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Hannibal said, mildly stunned, fingers touching the place on his cheek Will’s lips had touched.

As much as Will wanted to kiss the confusion straight off his face, he had a new game to play.

Hannibal had held out on him for months.

Will could hold out on him a while longer.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i meant to post this tomorrow or friday but i have no patience and uni would soon destroy any semblance of a posting schedule anyway so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ 
> 
> there's only a couple chapters of this left i think so i hope you enjoy this one
> 
> things get kinda angsty for like a second but i think you know what to expect from me by now

It wasn’t long before Will returned to the opera, this time accompanied by Jack and his team.

He imagined the building usually felt peaceful during the day, no crowds to stifle it, music flowing freely through it as the performers practiced. But someone had snuck inside and taken that peace away, replacing it with a display entirely too morbid for a place such as this—though in the killer’s mind, Will knew, this was the only place he could display his art where it would be appreciated.

The day after they discovered the body, he was in the morgue with Beverly, Zeller and Price. They were discussing gut strings when Jack came back from his break with Hannibal in tow.

Something fluttered in Will’s stomach at the sight of him before he spotted his visitor’s badge. For a moment, his brain had completely ignored the possibility of Hannibal being in his proximity without being there for _him_.

“Hey,” he greeted softly before he could stop himself, and Hannibal gave him a warm smile.

“Hello, Will,” he said, adding a polite nod towards the others. Will felt awkward suddenly, not knowing how to act around him when they weren’t trying to be obvious. They’d prepared for the exact opposite of this.

“I thought we could use Dr. Lecter’s input on this, since he knows a lot about music instruments,” Jack said as Hannibal moved towards the body. “You’ve probably talked about it already,” he continued, turning to Will.

“We haven’t,” Will said.

Jack raised an eyebrow. “I know you discuss cases with him, you don’t have to lie.”

“I’m not.” Will shrugged. “We just haven’t talked about this one yet.”

“Oh, you didn’t see each other yesterday?”

“We see each other every day,” Will said. When everyone turned to look at him, he spared a second to wonder why he didn’t actually let himself lie more often.

“Should I take it that you’ve taken to therapy at last?” Jack asked.

Will thought about playing footsie under Hannibal’s dining room table the night before. “Something like that,” he said, and he didn’t miss the way Hannibal’s smirk widened for a moment before he turned his attention to the dead man’s exposed vocal cords, nor the way Beverly looked between them, her eyes alight.

Thankfully, Jack was focused on the body, and listened to Hannibal talk about the authentic sound the killer was trying to produce.

“I can hear it every time I close my eyes,” Will muttered, and Hannibal looked at him with concern. Will stared back at him. He felt a bit guilty, but he couldn’t stop talking about his killers just because hearing it made Hannibal worry.

“This is an experienced killer,” Hannibal said. “But this method… It’s a first for him.”

“You sure you two didn’t talk about this?” Jack asked.

“Yes?” Will said. He wasn’t sure why Jack had expected Hannibal to say something different from that he had. The man sighed, but his phone rang before he had time to say anything else. He looked at the screen and frowned even before he picked up.

“You’ll have to excuse me, I’m needed elsewhere,” he said and headed for the door. “I appreciate you coming here, Doctor.”

“Anytime,” Hannibal said, but Jack had turned away already, phone to his ear. Hannibal looked to Will and Will nodded slightly towards the empty space next to where he stood, beckoning him closer. Hannibal went to him without question. For once, his eyes didn’t linger on Will, focusing on the body instead.

“What’s wrong?”

Hannibal shook his head. “I’m not sure if I should tell you.”

“And why is that?”

Hannibal just shook his head.

Will watched him, considering. “Because it’d be unethical?”  he asked.

Hannibal hesitated. “Yes.”

“Is it about Budge?”

A nod.

“Who’s Budge?” Zeller asked.

“Tobias Budge. We met him at the opera the other night,” Will said without looking at him. “Something was off about him. Did Franklyn tell you something?”

Hannibal sighed quietly. “He’s mentioned that Mr. Budge owns a music shop in Baltimore.”

“String instruments?” Beverly asked, and Hannibal nodded again.

“Does Franklyn suspect him?” Will asked.

“I couldn’t tell you.”

“That’s a yes, then.”

Hannibal sighed again. “I have an appointment with him later, if it matters any.”

“Maybe I should go see Budge then.”

“You?” Hannibal asked.

“Why not? Don’t give me that look, Hannibal, if they’re working together, you’ll be in just as much danger as me. You’re giving him an hour alone with you in your office, for fuck’s sake.”

Hannibal shook his head, but Will could see something click for him the same time it did for Will himself. “Franklyn is many things, but he is not a killer,” he said carefully.

“But is it possible that someone’s killing for him?”

“An alpha’s actions with a hurt omega’s intentions behind them.”

“What the hell are you two on about?” Beverly asked.

“The alpha killer,” Will said. “Maybe I was wrong, it wasn’t an omega who did the actual killing. He just chose the targets.”

“I don’t think he could do that, not intentionally,” Hannibal said. “Franklyn is my patient, I dare say I know him well. He’s not capable of such cruelty.”

“But he knows that his friend is,” Will said. “He didn’t, at first. But then he went to the opera, heard some rumors about the socialites, expressed his disapproval in front of his friend, suddenly they turned up dead. He got scared, felt guilty about it, and mentioned it to his psychiatrist.”

“Was Wilson an abuser too, then?” Price asked, nodding towards the body.

Will shook his head. “This is Budge choosing his own target for once, trying out a new method. The one he yearned to use all along.”

“What was his motive for choosing him?”

“All due respect,” Hannibal said, “Mr. Wilson did little to improve his section.”

Will nodded. “He did all fans a favor.”

“You wanna go check out his shop, then?” Beverly asked.

“Maybe… Maybe later. When Franklyn is with Hannibal. I don’t know if they’re together, I wouldn’t wanna risk him getting more aggressive if Franklyn happens to be there and Budge perceives us as a threat to his omega. Not that any of it is certain,” he said, rubbing a hand over his eyes. “He could be innocent. It’s just a lead.”

“I do have another appointment before his,” Hannibal said, looking at his watch.

“Yeah, of course,” Will said. “Thanks for stopping by”

“Of course,” Hannibal said with a slight smile. He touched Will’s arm lightly as he said his goodbyes, and Will did something really stupid: he tilted his head up for a kiss.

Hannibal did something even worse – he gave it to him.

It was only a chaste press of lips, but it couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. Will saw a flash of panic in Hannibal’s eyes before he regained control over his features, and he had to kiss Hannibal again to hide his smile.

“I’ll see you at dinner,” he murmured, though the room was quiet enough for him to be heard by everyone else.

“Don’t be late,” Hannibal replied. He pressed a final kiss to Will’s cheek and left.

Will stifled a sigh and shoved his hands into his pockets before he faced his colleagues.

They were silent for a while, then Price chuckled and murmured, “That’s some therapy,” making Beverly laugh.

Will bit his lip before he spoke. “Don’t tell Jack,” he pleaded, though he doubted they’d listen.

“Why?” Zeller asked, and Will raised an eyebrow at him.

“Because he’ll make a bigger deal out of it than it really is?”

“Seemed like a big deal to me,” Beverly said.

“You don’t know shit,” he told her with a little smile.

“Bullshit. I told you he liked you.”

“Whatever,” he said, smile widening. “We’re… A thing, now. That alright with you guys?”

Zeller and Price shared a look. They seemed surprised he was asking them. For the first time, Will pictured them being his friends, measuring his new partner to see if he was worth Will’s time. The image made him feel warm for a moment, but it soon frayed at the edges and cracked, and he was pulled back to reality.

In the end, Price shrugged. “We can always arrest him if he hurts you in any way,” he said, and Will laughed. The sound made Zeller look at him like he barely recognized him.

“Mated life has already changed you, man.”

“We’re not—mated.”

“Hey, whatever, it’s not of our business,” Beverly said. “We should still be thorough, in case Budge is a dead end,” she said, motioning towards the body. Will nodded, though he got his phone out to text Hannibal first.

_I’m sorry. That was stupid_

He stared at the message before he deleted it and typed a new one:  
  


_That was entirely your fault by the way_

**_May I ask how?_ **

_You got me used to kissing you every time we say goodbye_

  
Never mind the fact that he had purposely avoided Hannibal’s lips so far.  
  


_What am I supposed to do when we’re in public? think of my surroundings first?_

**_And what am I to do? Resist you?_ **

_I know that’s near impossible but TRY at least_

**_You caught me off guard, darling. You looked entirely too sweet for me to deny you._ **

  
“Can you stop texting your boyfriend for a minute?” Beverly asked him. “We could really use your input here.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Will murmured and quickly typed another message before pocketing his phone.  
  


_Apparently I text my BOYFRIEND too much and don’t do enough work. talk later_

  
He didn’t look at his phone until it was time to go to Budge’s shop.  
  


****_Please be careful, darling._  
  


Will thought of the night at the opera, how they’d flaunted their relationship, how Hannibal had displayed a rougher side of himself in order to defend Will. How that might be misconstrued.

_  
You too_

*

He was stupid to turn his back on Budge even for a second.

He’d looked calm enough when he recognized Will, letting him and the policemen look around the shop as Will questioned him. It only took a moment as Will turned to look at the instruments. Something heavy smashed into his head, sending him crashing to the floor, and it must have only been a few minutes, but when he came to, officer Stewart was slumped over and bleeding.

He managed to call for an ERT before he noticed the open door further into the shop. He was dizzy, leaning heavily on the wall as he made his way down into the basement. Was it any wonder Budge managed to overpower him and get away?

Will sat through his hands getting bandaged in front of the shop, his head prodded, and his arguments to be let go got weaker and weaker with every minute that passed. He needed to go to Hannibal, he needed to know he was alright, that Budge didn’t—

“Will?”

“Bev,” he choked, and she shushed him as she crouched in front of him and placed a gentle hand on his knee.

“You look like shit, bud,” she said, but all he could do was let out a distressed noise in reply. He knew he’d split his lip, his forehead was bruised, the back of his head was pounding, he needed to be checked for a concussion, but—

“Hannibal,” he said. “Franklyn was with Hannibal. He could have gone to him after this.”

Beverly gave him a long look. “They reported two bodies in Hannibal’s office.”

Will didn’t want to describe the sound that came out of him as a wail, but he was not sure there was another word for it.

“Will, please,” she said as he lurched forward, trying to get out from the back of the ambulance.

“Take me to him,” he said, tears flowing down his face. “Please, take me to him, they won’t let me drive.”

She looked at him with worry. “Promise to let me take you to the hospital after?”

He nodded vigorously, regretting it when it made him dizzy again. He felt nauseated, and he knew that would make her hesitant, so he whispered a last, desperate, “Please.”

She sighed. “Come on.”

She helped him up, letting him hold on to her for balance when he swayed. She said something to the paramedic that convinced him to finally let Will go.

In the passenger’s seat, his hands shook as he tried to buckle himself in. Beverly saw him struggle as she sat and did it for him.

“We’ll be there soon, honey,” she said as she clutched at his hand and leaned in to kiss his temple gently.

The gesture only made him sob harder, every breath choked up. The journey to Hannibal’s office lasted both a minute and an eternity, lost amid Beverly’s reassuring words and Will’s own panicked thoughts.

They made their way into the building, the walls around him swimming, and he found the waiting room full of the forensic team and other FBI staff talking among themselves.

“What’s going on?” Will asked, voice trembling.

Jack turned to him, but before he could say anything, Zeller’s shoulders slumped with relief and he said, “Thank fuck you’re okay, man,” he said and nodded towards the door. “He’s waiting for you, he won’t let anyone else in until he sees you.”

“He’s alive?” Will asked, hope once again filling his eyes with tears, and he choked on his relieved laugh when Zeller nodded.

Jack frowned at him. “You’re his omega?”

“Yeah,” Will said weakly. “Can I—?”

Before he could finish his question, the door to Hannibal’s office swung open, startling the ones closest to it into clearing the way.

Will didn’t wait for him to call, his feet moving on their own, stumbling to get to him. Hannibal looked at him like he could barely believe he was there. Will felt the same with every part of his being.

Someone started to say something, but as soon as Will was across the threshold Hannibal slammed the door back shut, hands going to cup Will’s face, eyes roaming as if he was trying to memorize every detail of him in case they were ever separated again.

Unable to speak, Will did the same, cataloguing every scratch and gash on Hannibal’s person. The wound on his thigh seemed the most serious, the fabric around it damp and dark with blood, but Hannibal didn’t seem to feel any pain. He leaned in to place a gentle kiss on Will’s lips, aware they both had cuts there, and Will used the moment to gently steer him towards his chaise.

He pushed him to sit down, and to his surprise, Hannibal pulled him to sit astride him. Will chuckled, trying to move his leg so it wouldn’t jostle Hannibal’s wound, but he couldn’t avoid it.

“Baby, your leg,” he whispered, trying to move away, but Hannibal didn’t let him. He buried his face in Will’s neck and nuzzled into it, his tongue darting out to taste his skin once in a while, making sure that Will was there, that he was whole.

There were two bodies on the floor of the office. They’d walked right past them. Will couldn’t make himself turn back and look.

Instead, he gave in and relaxed into Hannibal’s embrace, petting his hair and murmuring reassurances in his ear, even as tears streamed down his own face again, his body unable to believe his mate was alive and well and in his arms.

“I don’t know what I’d have done if he’d hurt you,” he heard himself say, and Hannibal straightened up to look at him.

“He told me he hurt you,” Hannibal said. “So I did.”

That should have scared Will. He should have thought it wrong. He should have said so.

“Good,” he said instead, voice rough, and there was fire in Hannibal’s eyes before he closed them and leaned in again, crushing their mouths together, despite the blood, despite the pain.

Will held him, hands kneading in his clothes as if that would bring him even closer.

“Your leg,” he tried again when Hannibal looked more inclined to do something about it.

“You’re putting pressure on it,” he said, and Will chuckled. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” Will said. “Possibly concussed,” he amended, and Hannibal startled and pulled back, focusing on his eyes. When his hands reached up, Will caught him by the wrists. “You won’t be the one to examine me,” he said calmly and stood up carefully. “Come on,” he said, pulling Hannibal up with one hand, using the other to wipe his face with his sleeve. “We’re going to the hospital.”

There was someone in the waiting room ready to help, so they sat Hannibal on the couch to see what could be done. Will felt oddly apprehensive about letting other people touch him, so he sat at his other side, clutching his hand as Jack took his initial statement.

Hannibal told Jack that their theory had been right, that Budge had been the alpha killer all along, that he confessed in front of Hannibal after he killed Franklyn, useless to him now that his cover had been blown. Will knew they’d be questioned again later, asked to write it all down, but as soon as he was bandaged, Hannibal accepted no further delay.

“I will see my mate taken care of,” he said. “Come with us to the hospital, if you must, he needs a scan and he needs it now.”

“Of course,” Jack said, “he could have been on his way by now, but…” He pointedly looked at their joined hands. He seemed amused, more than anything.

“You can laugh at me for falling for a psychiatrist later,” Will said as he got up, and Jack chuckled.

“I might take you up on that,” he said. “But Will.” He turned to him, and suddenly Jack looked wearier than Will had ever seen him. “Turn off your phone for a few days. Get some rest.”

Will wondered how long that inclination to let him have some peace would last, but he didn’t question Jack. He simply nodded at him and left, Hannibal’s hand in his own.

*

“Did he really confess to you?” Will asked on their way to Hannibal’s when they were finally free to go. “That he was…” He didn’t want to spook the cab driver. “…Who we thought he was?”

“Yes,” Hannibal said.

Will didn’t believe him.

“So we’re free, then? We can just be?”

“Yes,” Hannibal said, clutching at his hand.

He was hiding something.

Will was silent for a while.

“Can I stay with you tonight?”

Hannibal nodded and kissed his hand in reply.

*

Hannibal got out some leftovers and heated them each a plate, but instead of going to the dining room, they settled on the couch in his study, their legs tangled together as they ate in silence. Will’s head still ached, but he’d been given painkillers and orders to rest, so he wasn’t particularly worried. He found himself reaching for Hannibal now and again, caressing his arm, his cheek, ruffling his hair. Every time it made Hannibal let out a short, quiet purring sound, and every time he heard it, Will felt his heart fill to bursting.

“I have to tell you that it’s really hard for me to fall asleep in new places,” Will said. “And I can’t sleep on the second floor at all.” Especially without a single dog in the house.

“How about here, then?” Hannibal asked, patting the couch cushion.

“Would it be okay?”

“Of course.”

They left their plates on the coffee table and Hannibal spread his legs over Will’s lap, cuddling up to him.

Neither of them felt like talking, both content to share warmth, share breath. Deep in his thoughts, Will was only roused when he heard a gentle rumbling begin to emanate from Hannibal’s chest. It took him a moment to realize what it was.

Hannibal was purring.

Will placed his hand over his chest, overwhelmed. He looked into Hannibal’s eyes to see them soft with affection. No one had ever purred for Will because no one had ever been that happy and comfortable around him before.

He had to blink back tears as he leaned in, pressing his ear to Hannibal so he could appreciate the sound better. He pushed him gently and Hannibal lay back, his arms wrapping around Will as he lay on top of him, cheek resting on his chest.

“This might make it easier to fall asleep,” Will admitted after a while, speech already slurred.

Hannibal hummed, and the purring stopped as he spoke. “I think I’d prefer it if we were a little less overdressed for the task.” Will couldn’t help but look up at him with a smirk, and Hannibal shook his head as he caressed Will’s cheek. “Naughty boy,” he teased, making heat clench low in Will’s belly. “I only meant sleep clothes.”

Will was suddenly very aware of the way he was settled between Hannibal’s legs, of the way one of those legs was hooked behind Will’s own, holding him close.

He was also aware of the fact that they were both beat to shit.

“Can we get ready for bed, then?”

Hannibal nodded.

He led Will to a guest bathroom and left him to take a shower. He’d left a set of pajamas out for him, plaid and soft, not unlike his own, and Will smiled at the knowledge that he’d be dressed in Hannibal’s clothes. He dressed quickly and bundled up his own to bring them downstairs.

He walked into the study and stopped in his tracks when he saw Hannibal. He’d showered, too, and he’d put ottomans next to the couch to extend it. He was currently in the process of covering it with at least three blankets, and there were no less than half a dozen pillows waiting to be arranged on top of all that.

“Hannibal,” he called softly, and Hannibal turned to him with a smile, but it fell when he saw Will’s face.

“Is something wrong?”

“You made me a nest,” Will whispered, and Hannibal looked back at the couch.

“So I did,” he said, looking mildly unsettled. He frowned as he turned back to Will, misunderstanding his reaction. “I presumed,” he said apologetically. “You don’t have to—” but then Will was hugging him, pushing into him until every inch of him was touching Hannibal. “Will?”

“It’s perfect,” Will said, nuzzling into his neck. He couldn’t even bother to make his own nest at home, knowing he’d have to wash it all, and here Hannibal was, making him one without hesitation. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me, darling. I only wanted you to be comfortable,” Hannibal said, carefully stroking his hair. “Would you like to try it out?” he asked, and Will nodded against him.

He stretched out on the couch, groaning as he sank into the softness, and spent a few moments with his eyes closed, soaking up the sensation. When he looked up again, he couldn’t miss the satisfied look in Hannibal’s eyes.

“Good?” he asked.

“Mm. You coming?” Will asked, pushing to the back of the couch to make space for him.

“Let me get the light.”

Hannibal joined him and pulled the blankets over them as soon as they were comfortable, making Will groan softly again.

“Do you have weighted blankets at home?” he asked, hand rubbing circles over Will’s back, and Will shrugged.

“I have dogs.”

“You let them on the bed?”

“I do own a washing machine,” Will said, and Hannibal chuckled. “Do you have patients tomorrow?”

“I’ll call them early in the morning to explain the situation.”

“So it’ll be just us?”

“Just us.”

Will hummed.

“Sweet dreams, darling,” Hannibal whispered.

“Night, baby,” Will mumbled in reply.

The memory of saying it would probably make him cringe the next morning, and the knowledge that Hannibal hadn’t been completely honest with him would bug him until he figured it out, but at the moment, all he felt was content.

So he slept.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay! i have little to no energy and time to write these days, uni is brutal
> 
> hope you enjoy the chapter!

Will awoke with a start, the image of some nightmare or another quickly slipping from him, leaving him confused and paralyzed. There was a weight covering his right side, and his muscles braced to push it away before his mind caught up with his body and he stopped himself, forcing his breath to slow. It was only Hannibal, sleeping next to him, peaceful as the air around the study. There was no danger. No monsters. Just Hannibal’s arm over Will’s chest and his breath warming Will’s cheek with every exhale.

Will froze, eyes staring at the ceiling, unseeing. Falling asleep next to Hannibal, he’d known what would follow would be _waking up_ next to him, yet he found he was utterly unprepared for it. Hannibal was curled up around him, his lips next to Will’s cheek, as if he fell asleep nuzzling into him, or maybe he did in his sleep. The fact that he’d come so close to— to—

He pressed a hand to his mouth, trying to stifle the sobs that rocked his chest as his eyes welled up and the tears spilled over. He squeezed his eyes shut when he felt Hannibal stir despite his efforts to be quiet.

“Will?” he mumbled, but Will shook his head and turned on his side, away from Hannibal. “Will, what’s the matter?” he demanded, one hand on Will’s shoulder, and Will could hear the other feeling around for the light switch on the table next to the couch. When it finally clicked, he tried to turn Will on his back. “Darling, please, talk to me. Is it your head? Are you in pain?”

Will finally rolled back around, though he was still covering his face with his hands. He shook his head. “It’s nothing. Sorry for waking you.”

“It’s clearly something,” Hannibal said, gently puling away one of Will’s hands to press a kiss at his knuckles. “Would you like me to stay or leave you alone?”

“Don’t go,” Will blurted out, hand clutching at Hannibal’s wrist. “Hannibal, please…”

“I’m here,” Hannibal assured him and lay back down, propping himself on his elbow as his other hand, now free of Will’s grasp, worked to wipe Will’s tears and brush his hair away from his face. “I’m here, darling,” he whispered again. His features were soft under the dim light, and Will’s heart ached.

“You can’t… We can’t…” Will’s breath stuttered and he closed his eyes, bracing himself for what he was about to say. “Yesterday could have gone either way. A reaction that came a fraction of a second too late and I—you’d have been gone. We never would have gotten to—do any of this.” He opened his eyes and had to blink a couple of times before Hannibal became less blurry. “Stop me if I’m getting ahead of myself, but I can’t keep pretending that we’re just playing around. I can’t keep pretending that I don’t…”

He couldn’t continue, but he didn’t have to. Hannibal stroked his cheek with his thumb and tilted Will’s face towards his to make sure he Will’s eyes stayed on him. “I was not joking yesterday,” he said calmly. “What I did to Tobias Budge, I did because he hurt you. I’d do the same to anyone who dared to put their hands on you.”

“You shouldn’t say things like that,” Will whispered. Killing in self-defense was one thing, but killing another alpha over an omega… Jack couldn’t know about Hannibal’s true motives.

“And you shouldn’t cover for me,” Hannibal said, arching an eyebrow. “Yet here we are. This was never just a game to me. I’m not courting you just to pass the time.”

Will huffed. “No, you’re doing it just to fuck with me. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Why didn’t you figure it out sooner?” Hannibal asked, leaning in to kiss him, but Will groaned and nipped at his bottom lip instead.

“Fuck you,” he said with no real heat behind it, and Hannibal chuckled and nuzzled into his cheek.

“Later, perhaps,” he mumbled, the words making heat stir in Will’s belly. “We could sleep for a few hours more,” he said and switched the lamp off again, cuddling up next to Will.

“Oh, you mean you don’t get up hours before dawn to make an elaborate breakfast every day?” Will teased. The only reply he got was Hannibal sprawling over him, as if it was punishing instead of comforting The message was clear – sleep now, sass him later.

Will could do that.

*

He tried not to be disappointed when he woke up again hours later and found he was alone. They’d have countless mornings to laze around together, this wasn’t really a loss.

He looked around for his clothes but didn’t find them — Hannibal had probably wanted to wash them. Will went out in the hallway and, when he heard noises from the kitchen, went upstairs to wash up. He wondered if he’d earned the right to rummage Hannibal’s closet yet. He opened a random drawer and got the first thing he got his hands on: a red wool sweater. It was so _soft_ , he couldn’t help pulling it on, rubbing his arms after as if to help the pleasant feeling settle into his skin.

He caught sight of himself in the large mirror and noticed his boxers were poking out from underneath the wool. If he were wearing briefs and tugged the sweater just a little further down, it would look like he was wearing nothing underneath it. He let go of it when he realized he was actually tugging on the hem and shook his head, unwilling to examine why exactly he wanted to look like he was bare under Hannibal’s clothes.

He made his way down to the kitchen, satisfied when the sight of him actually made Hannibal pause for a moment before he returned to his cooking.

“Good morning, Will,” he said, and Will grinned.

“Morning,” he replied and walked closer until he could hug Hannibal from behind and press a small kiss to his neck. It made Hannibal shiver, so Will did it again before he pulled away to give Hannibal space. Hannibal smiled and freed his hands so he could put them on Will’s waist. Will tilted his head up for a kiss, but instead Hannibal smirked and lifted him up _,_ making Will squeak as he sat him on a countertop that Will had a sneaking suspicion had been tidied up just for that purpose.

He made to pull away, but Will grasped his shirt and pulled him closer, crashing their lips together. Hannibal groaned as he pressed against him, Will’s legs spreading to accommodate him, and deepened the kiss for a moment before he pulled away again.

“I’ll burn the eggs,” he explained, pressing an apologetic little kiss to the corner of Will’s lips before he went back to the stove.

“What are you making?”

“Eggs and sausage,” Hannibal said, and the way he glanced back at him made Will smile.

“Like the first meal we shared,” he said, and Hannibal nodded.

“Exactly,” he said. “I thought it was sufficiently simple.”

Will huffed a laugh. “Since when do you take constructive criticism?”

“I wouldn’t really call it constructive,” Hannibal said. “But either way. It would seem that I’m willing to take a lot when it comes from you.”

Will had no idea what to say to this. He just watched Hannibal take the pan off the heat and distribute the portions. There was a lot left over, which was weird considering Hannibal’s usual precision, but Will didn’t have the chance to ask as Hannibal stood in front to look him over. Will wanted to believe his gaze lingered over his thighs, but it shot back to Will’s eyes soon, hands rising to cup his face.

“How are you feeling?” Hannibal asked.

“I’m fine.”

“No headache?”

“Just a small one, it’s not too bad,” Will said. He pulled Hannibal closer. It was like an itch, the need to have him close, only satisfied when Will could feel Hannibal’s skin pressed to his. “How’s your leg? And your patients?”

“The leg is fine. Most of my patients didn’t mind canceling the week’s appointment, and I referred the rest to colleagues who could help them.” He frowned, and Will hummed in question. “I was in the process of referring Franklyn to another psychiatrist yesterday, when Tobias arrived.”

“Oh. I’m guessing he didn’t take it well?”

Hannibal shook his head. “It was far from the first time it had happened to him. I wasn’t the first to fail to help him.”

“What made you let him go?” Will asked. Hannibal was a patient man, and a skilled psychiatrist. He wouldn’t just give up on a difficult patient.

Hannibal hesitated. “He’d… Made it a habit of showing up wherever I went. He admitted he sometimes just watched me, after I made it clear it was not entirely proper for us to act friendly while I was his psychiatrist.”

Will froze. “He was... He was stalking you?”

“I wouldn’t call it stalking.”

“Then what the fuck would you call it?” Will snapped, and Hannibal frowned at him. “What, just because you’re an alpha nothing can endanger you? I told you having an appointment with him was dangerous—you _knew_ he could be the alpha killer. And now we know we were right to suspect him. Or did you really lie to me and Jack about it yesterday? 

“You think I lied to you?”

“Yes, but I can’t for the life of me fucking fathom why.”

“Why didn’t you tell Jack?”

Will laughed joylessly. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I trust you. Because I’ve never had someone like you before. Someone I would—” _kill_ “—do so much for. I don’t feel like myself. I don’t know if it’s because of yesterday but I can’t—I can’t be apart from you. I really don’t know what I’d—”

He cut himself short, sounds coming from the hallway grabbing his attention. He turned his head towards the door.

Footsteps?

Before he could think about it, his hand had reached for a knife that Hannibal had left on the counter earlier. He shifted to get off, but Hannibal pressed into him, his hand grabbing Will’s wrist, keeping the knife down. Will let out a distressed noise and looked at him, confused. Hannibal just shook his head minutely, but he couldn’t say anything before the door open.

“Oh!” Alana said as she peeked inside. Will dropped the knife before she could see it, and it clattered onto the counter. “Sorry for interrupting. I’ll wait for you guys in the dining room?”

“Yes, Alana, we’ll be right with you,” Hannibal said, perfectly calm. Will’s heart was about to fly out of his chest.

When she walked out, Hannibal let him go, but he didn’t pull away. “I told Alana that you might want to sleep in. That’s why she let herself in and took off her shoes. We wanted to surprise you,” he said.

“Consider me surprised.”

There was silence for a long moment. Hannibal pulled away and the plates clattered as he picked him up. “You don’t have to withstand my company, but please, don’t let this spoil your lunch, especially since you slept through breakfast.”

“I’m not hungry,” Will said and slid off the counter. “I’ll go take a shower,” he said and left before Hannibal could reply.

He scrubbed at his skin under the hot water, as if it would make the anger still running through him seep out. Hannibal had been so stupid, putting himself in danger just because of his arrogance, and he’d all but admitted about lying, and then Alana—

It was one thing to think he would kill for Hannibal, and another to actually have his body react the way it had. And the way that Hannibal had looked at him afterwards… He’d tried to hide it, but will saw it all. The satisfaction. The awe. The _hunger_.

Hannibal was a fan of traditional courting, that much was clear, but this, being willing to kill for a mate and have them kill for you—it wasn’t traditional, it was _ancient._ It wasn’t considered _proper_ in any society anymore, rarely acceptable even in fiction, yet here they were. Hannibal openly embracing the instinct. Will fighting against it and losing.

When he got out, he found his clothes, clean and dry, spread on Hannibal’s bed. He put on his pants, but put Hannibal’s sweater on again. It was comfortable and he was petty enough to hog it for a while.

They weren’t in the dining room, so he made his way to the study. The door was cracked open and he could hear their voices, so he lingered just outside and listened in.

“…last?” he heard Alana’s voice, and Hannibal sighed.

“I don’t know. I hope so.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

There was silence for a moment, and then the soft clank of a teacup being placed into its saucer. “I love Will,” Hannibal said, and it hit Will harder than any such simple sentence had the right to. “But I am well aware that he is a luxury, not a necessity.” Will could almost see him shrug and take another sip. “If he ever decides that I’m unworthy, I would ache for him, but I’d survive.”

“And it’s always him leaving when you imagine the two of you separating?” Alana asked. “Never you?”

“Never,” Hannibal said, voice rough with emotion.

Will blinked a few times rapidly, chasing the tears away. He’d done more than enough crying in the last couple of days.

Hannibal and Alana were in the armchairs, having tea, and they both went quiet when Will walked in. He headed straight for Hannibal and leaned in to take his cup and saucer before he plopped down on Hannibal’s lap, his legs slung over the armrest.

Hannibal huffed a laugh and reached for the saucer.

“No, I can hold it,” Will said softly. He liked feeling the warmth of it on his thighs. “Just take the cup whenever you want a sip.”

It was stupid and ridiculous and inconvenient. He still hadn’t looked at Hannibal’s face, but he could see him staring out of the corner of his eye. Will sighed and leaned into him, tilting his head to the side, and Hannibal didn’t need another invitation to press a kiss to Will’s cheek, and another, lowering his head to scent at his neck after.

“You’re still not off the hook,” Will said.

“Of course not,” Hannibal replied, and Will rolled his eyes at his indulgent tone.

“I hope I wasn’t the reason for conflict between you,” Alana said, and Will turned his head to her.

“Oh, no, of course not,” he said earnestly, and she raised an eyebrow, but he could see the delight in her eyes. He wasn’t usually so forthcoming with his apologies. Then again, people usually deserved his rudeness.

“I’m afraid it’s all on me,” Hannibal told her solemnly.

Will pushed him back so he could lean in the chair, Will leaning on him in turn, careful not to spill tea over them both. “It was a little bit on me,” he added, but he could feel Hannibal shaking his head.

“You were completely right.”

“It doesn’t suit you to automatically claim your omega’s in the right when we have an argument, Hannibal.”

“Stop being right all the time, then,” Hannibal said, and Will laughed. So did Alana.

“I was just being dramatic,” Will tried to assure her. “I somehow forget how much he appreciates drama.”

“What I appreciate is you, mylimasis,” Hannibal said. Will frowned—he’d never heard the word before, but it was clear by his tone that Hannibal had used it as an endearment. Will turned it over in his mind so he could remember it and ask him about it or look it up later: _mylimasis_.

“Does Jack know about your relationship?” Alana asked.

“He found out yesterday,” Hannibal said.

Alana hummed. “And how are you feeling after what happened?”

“Clingy,” Will said, making her chuckle softly.

“That’s understandable,” she said. “I don’t think I need to remind you that I’ll always be here if you wanna talk. You too, Hannibal. You shouldn’t try to deal with this alone.”

“Thank you, Alana,” Hannibal said warmly. “You’re very kind.”

They talked about some article in one journal or another, and Will closed his eyes, let their voices wash over him. He must have been more tired than he thought, even after the decent sleep he got, because he soon felt he was dozing off. He felt Hannibal take the saucer off his hands but he didn’t protest, snuggling up into him so he could take his scent in with every breath.

They talked and their voices weaved themselves into Will’s hazy dream. They were the sound of the stream he was wading through, carefully making his way to the other side, to whatever the shape lying on the shore was. He seemed to make no progress but he kept on walking, the water sloshing around him. It wasn’t until he stopped hearing it that he stopped wading, finding that the water was gone, leaving him deep into mud. He looked back at the shape to see it trembling, and he started walking again, but as soon as he took his first step the creature raised its head suddenly, startling Will into slipping into the mud and opening his eyes.

Hannibal was rubbing over his back, soothing him, and Will blinked sleep away.

“One of those falling dreams,” he said in explanation, and Hannibal nodded and kissed his temple. “Sorry about this,” he said as he turned to Alana. “I guess I’m really tired.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll make time to catch up soon,” she said and got up, straightening her skirt.

Will got up awkwardly and gave her a hug, but he let Hannibal walk her out.

“I have to go see to my dogs,” Will said when he came back. “My neighbor’s fed them since he didn’t see me come in last night, but I’ll go talk to him and ask him to look after them for a couple of days.”

“You want to stay here longer?” Hannibal asked, and Will shrugged.

“If you want me here.”

Hannibal walked up to him. “Of course I want you, darling.” His eyes were full of affection, and something else that Will couldn’t quite figure out.

“What is it?”

“What?”

“You’re looking at me funny.”

Hannibal’s smile was almost embarrassed. “You did something. While you were sleeping just now…” Oh God, had he talked in his sleep? “You purred.”

“I—what?”

“You purred for me, darling,” he said, carefully taking Will’s hands in his own. “It was not for long because you were startled out of your sleep, and it was very gentle, but I heard it.”

“Well. That’s. Wow.” Will didn’t know why he was blushing. “Didn’t know I could do that,” he said and let out a nervous little laugh. “So we have a fight and I’m mad at you and fall asleep in your arms and _then_ purr. Not last night or any other time I’ve been relaxed around you. What does that say about me?”

“That we’ve gone through a traumatic event and we can expect our bodies to behave in odd ways?”

“I guess so,” Will said. He felt strangely bereft at the thought that it might not happen again. He hadn’t even been conscious to experience it himself, why would he miss it? “Hope it was nice,” he said, letting Hannibal go. “Sorry I can’t do it like a normal person.”

“Will—”

“I’ll go now,” Will said with a strained smile. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

He wasn’t entirely sure he should drive yet, but Hannibal must have thought he was alright, because he didn’t try to stop him.

Or maybe he just let him go because he didn’t want to spend time with Will anymore and that was the most polite way to get rid of him.

Maybe, Will thought on the way home, one day he would stop doubting if he was actually desirable. He would actually listen to what Hannibal confessed he felt for him. He would stop letting his insecurities rule his mouth and he would stop pushing Hannibal away.

One day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was supposed to be the sexy chapter but then they got feelings for too long. maybe next time :'D
> 
> idk how insecure!will keeps sneaking into my writing he just won't leave me alone


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **please mind the change in rating and the new tags!**

Will’s neighbor agreed to taking care of the dogs for the next few days, so Will gave himself some time to cuddle with all of them and let them out for a long walk. He’d done his best not to neglect them even for a day, but he still wasn’t used to spending so much time apart from them for reasons other than work. He never thought he would have to.

He’d left his phone at home for the walk, and he wasn’t surprised to find a missed call and a couple of text messages from Hannibal.

**_It was wrong of me to put so much weight on a reflex such as purring. I fear I made it sound like I suddenly valued you more for it, which is not the case._ **

**_You already meant the world to me._ **

Will sighed and rubbed at his eyes. He pressed _dial._

“Hello?”

“How are you the sweetest alpha in the world?”

Hannibal chuckled. “I am not. I got carried away in my excitement, and I am sorry for that.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Hannibal,” Will said. “I just have some shit to work through. I should have talked to you about it before we ever got this serious.”

“Circumstances got the best of us. Neither of us expected us to be where we are so soon,” Hannibal replied. “We’ll take it as fast or as slow as you’re comfortable with.”

“I’m going to be difficult sometimes,” Will warned. “I’m not… Good at relationship. Especially ones as intense as ours. I’m just going to need to be alone sometimes.”

“I hardly expect us to spend our every waking second together, darling. Not matter what the alpha in me has to say on the matter,” he said, and Will chuckled. “You have lived a solitary life for a long while. Taking time to adjust instead of jumping into a new situation is the healthy thing to do.”

“We can barely go a day without seeing each other.” _And barely more than a few hours without talking, apparently._

“I’ve been told that’s what the honeymoon period is like,” Hannibal said, smirk evident in his tone, and Will had to try very hard not to think of their actual honeymoon. “Not to speak of the trauma we’ve been through. That is not the only reason for it, but I… I can’t stand the fact that you’re away from me. I feel an overwhelming need to protect you, no matter whether it is warranted or not.”

“I feel the same,” Will admitted quietly. It had been hell actually leaving Hannibal’s house, and having such a distance between them wasn’t any better.

“We’ll get through this bout of irrationality together.”

“Yeah,” Will said. “I’ll be there in about two hours, is that alright?”

“Yes. I’ll see you then.”

“See you.”

It was after he hung up that he remembered their conversation with Alana. He looked up the word he’d heard Hannibal use—it took the dictionary a moment to get past his misspellings, but it managed in the end, and the result made his heart stutter in his chest. _Mylimasis._ _Beloved._ Will let out a shaky sigh and sat for a moment, trying to convince his brain to shut up.

_He meant it._

He packed a bag with clothes and toiletries—even though he was sure Hannibal would be more than happy to provide him with both those things—and spent some more time with the dogs before he made his way to his car.

As he drove, it occurred to him that Hannibal had been feeding him for about a month now, and Will hadn’t brought a single gift to him to repay even some of it. It was true that that was sort of the point of getting courted, but it still didn’t feel right.

But what could he give to Hannibal, anyway? What could he buy for someone who could buy anything they could possibly want for themselves—and probably already had, judging by the art and decorations in his home and office? Wine felt inadequate; he’d given him a bottle once, for a dinner party, and he had no doubt it was still gathering dust somewhere in Hannibal’s cellar, pushed off the menu by far more appropriate and finer choices.

In the end, he stopped at a quaint little flower shop that kept catching his eye every time he made his way into the city. He got a sunflower bouquet that he thought would look nice on the desk in Hannibal’s study. The gesture had to be worth something, right?

He had the opportunity to regret it for a moment as he walked up to Hannibal’s door, but there was no turning back when the man opened his front door and his gaze fell right on the flowers Will was clutching at.

“I always come empty handed,” he said by way of explanation, and held out the bouquet, still keeping it closer to himself than Hannibal, half-hoping he declined.

“Will, they are lovely,” Hannibal said and gently took the flowers. He took them in, the warmest look in his eyes, and Will gathered enough courage to step over the threshold. He hung up his jacket and when he turned around, Hannibal’s appreciative gaze was settled on him. Will couldn’t resist pressing close to him. Hannibal ran his fingers through Will’s hair and pulled him even closer, resting their foreheads together. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Will said and hugged him. “God, you smell good,” he groaned, scenting his neck. It took him a moment to realize that Hannibal smelled a little bit _too_ good. He pulled away far enough to look at him. “Hannibal?”

Hannibal sighed. “I may be experiencing a mild rut.”

Will blinked at him. “A _rut?_ Why the hell are you not in bed?”

“I said it was mild.” He tried to reassure him with a small smile, but now that he was looking for them, Will saw the signs of exhaustion and tension around Hannibal’s eyes, in his shoulders.

“Am I making it worse?” Will asked and tried to pull away, but Hannibal wrapped an arm around his waist and kept him close, sending a little shiver down Will’s spine.

“You could only ever make it better, darling,” Hannibal purred, and all Will wanted to do was kiss him, touch him—but they had to talk about it first.

“Did you feel it in the morning?”

“I felt it might be coming.”

“Why didn’t you tell me, then?”

“You were upset,” Hannibal said. “I didn’t want you to sacrifice your feelings for my comfort.”

Will shook his head. “The sweetest alpha,” he murmured against Hannibal’s lips, finally giving him a little kiss that made Hannibal whine and press for more, but Will shushed him and made sure Hannibal was looking at him again before he spoke. “Is there anything I should know? Did your suppressants fail?”

Hannibal nodded. “It was the adrenaline and—everything else. It’s not a stronger rut because I’ve been taking them this long. I should be able to start them back up once it’s over.”

“It’ll be shorter than a regular one, yeah?” Will asked.

Hannibal nodded. “I expect it to be done by tomorrow.”

“That’s good. I won’t have to subject you to my cooking, then,” he said, rubbing Hannibal’s neck, and Hannibal smiled.

“I would love anything you make for me.”

“You say that now,” Will said. He took the flowers and left them on a cabinet by the wall, hoping he’d remember to come back down and put them in water later. “Should I assume that you won’t feel the urge to bite me if we were to do this?”

There was a glint in Hannibal’s eyes. “I always feel that urge, my love.”

Will raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “You’ve been able to control yourself so far, can I trust you to keep that up tonight?” he said, and Hannibal’s face sobered.

“Of course, Will. I was only joking,” he said, lowering his gaze. “I am myself. I just… Need you.”

Will smiled, saying, “You can have me,” and the smile grew into a grin at Hannibal’s growl. “Come on,” he said, taking Hannibal’s hand and leading him to the stairs. “Wait, are you hungry?” he asked.

Hannibal just growled in reply and kissed him, hands roaming all over his body. Will giggled into it and started walking backwards, faltering at the first step but quickly regaining his balance. He unbuttoned Hannibal’s shirt and let Hannibal do the same to his, and he secretly delighted in them making a mess of Hannibal’s immaculate home, leaving a trail of shirts and belts and pants leading to their destination.

Inside Hannibal’s bedroom, Will made himself pull away. “Do you have heat sheets?” he asked, and Hannibal nodded, but he didn’t do anything about getting them, too busy nuzzling into Will’s cheek and sliding his hands over his ass to bring their groins together. Will groaned and grabbed a fistful of Hannibal’s hair, pulling on it until Hannibal looked at him, eyes glazed over, mouth open. “Take them and put them on the bed,” he said, knowing Hannibal would regret ruining his mattress if he didn’t cover it. What he didn’t expect was for Hannibal to whine at his words, heat coloring his cheeks. Will was worried for a second, but then Hannibal just turned his head to press a kiss to his wrist and did as he was told.

He went to a dresser and pulled out a bundle from it. Will stood at the opposite side of the bed and they placed the absorbent cover over it together, Hannibal crawling across it as soon as they were done. He sat on his heels at the edge of the bed and wrapped his arms around Will’s waist, pressing small kisses to his belly, nudging at his boxers but not taking them off yet.

“Hey, baby,” Will said and Hannibal looked up at him, gaze warm and expecting. Will pushed his hair back. “Can you understand me?”

Hannibal nodded yes.

“But you can’t talk?”

He shook his head no. It was to be expected during rut, so Will wasn’t worried, even if he’d hoped it would be one of the symptoms that would skip Hannibal in this kind of rut. Hannibal _loved_ talking; it was a shame to deprive him of it at such a time.

“Okay. Try to guide me where you want me and pinch me if you wanna stop, okay?” _Yes._ “Did I hurt you back there?” Will asked, gently pulling on his hair, careful not to cause him pain this time. Hannibal shook his head vigorously. “You liked it?” _Yes._ “Good. Good,” Will said again, leaning in to give him a small kiss. “Can you lie back for me, sweetheart?”

Hannibal did so eagerly, but not without pulling Will on top of himself, spreading his legs to make space for him between them. Will chuckled but the sound turned into something deeper, dirtier as they kissed and Hannibal thrust up into him to rub them together. Will’s hand slid under Hannibal’s soft boxers and wrapped around it, making Hannibal moan and arch up into it.

He was beautiful. It was all Will could think when Hannibal closed his eyes and threw his head back, gasping and bunching up the bedcover at a simple touch to his cock. He looked close already and Will brought his hand to his mouth to wet it before he put it on Hannibal again and sped up.

“Come on, baby,” Will murmured, leaning over Hannibal. “Let go.”

Hannibal groaned and pulled him closer by the neck, kissing him sloppily as he fucked up into his fist. When he let his head fall back again and tensed, clutching at Will’s shoulders, Will sat back so he could wrap both his hands around him. He knew a knot could get painful if it didn’t find its way inside a partner’s body, so he squeezed around it as it swelled, making Hannibal jerk through his orgasm.

Once he had his breath back, Hannibal motioned him closer and kissed him again, calmer this time, satisfied.

“Better?” Will asked, and Hannibal nodded. He still didn’t have his words back. “You need more,” Will decided. Hannibal whimpered, bringing his own hand to his cock so he could free Will’s. “Thank you, sweetheart,” Will cooed, and Hannibal gave him a soft smile. He shifted to his side and nudged Will to lie down, settling over him to nuzzle into his cheek and kiss it before he pulled away. He reached for the nightstand and rummaged through the drawer, groaning when he had to let go of himself in order to find what he was looking for.

He finally did and pressed it to Will’s hand. Will looked at the small bottle and chuckled, cupping Hannibal’s cheek in his hand.

“I don’t think we’re gonna need that,” he said, wiggling under Hannibal. He could feel his boxers sticking to him with his slick.

Hannibal shook his head and smirked at him, nibbling at Will’s thumb before he sucked on it, eyes never leaving Will’s.

“Oh,” Will said. “You want…”

Hannibal nodded. His boxers were still around his thighs but he slid them off quickly, kicking them off to the bottom of the bed. There were more comfortable positions to do this in, but Hannibal seemed to be content on his knees over Will, propping himself on his elbow and kissing his neck, his other hand squeezing his knot. Will slicked his hand up and gently rubbed at his entrance, making Hannibal whimper.

“Easy, now,” Will whispered. “You want my fingers, baby?” Hannibal nodded against him. Will pushed in, two of his fingers going in easily. Hannibal shuddered and fucked back on them. “Look at you,” he murmured. “Naughty boy.” Hannibal smiled at that, but Will didn’t miss the way it made him jerk back, squeezing around fingers. “You like that?” _Yes._ “Mm. So eager for my cock.” He kept on fucking him with his fingers, purposely avoiding his prostate, teasing. “Gonna fuck that come right out of you.”

Hannibal growled at that, pulling Will’s fingers out of him and pinning his wrist next to his head. He nipped at his jaw before he got the lube and pulled Will’s boxers down, slicking up Will’s cock and settling over it.

“That’s right, sweetheart,” Will said, placing his hands on Hannibal’s waist. “Take what you need.”

Hannibal did as he was told, lifting up and settling down with precise movements that made the most delicious little sounds leave his throat every time he bottomed out. His skin was glistening with sweat, hair wild around his head; the muscles of his thighs were straining with the effort. Will never wanted to take his eyes off him.

Hannibal rode him until he couldn’t anymore, until he had to take himself in hand and make his knot swell again, spilling over Will’s belly.

“Beautiful,” Will said, wincing as Hannibal got off of him. He was still hard, but he wasn’t as concerned with that as he was with Hannibal.

“Thank you, darling,” Hannibal said, voice rough, and Will grinned at him.

“You’re back,” he said, and Hannibal hummed. “Feel okay?”

Hannibal hummed. “Thank you,” he said again, caressing Will’s cheek.

They stayed like that for a while, and at first Hannibal seemed content, but soon a small frown settled on his face.

“What is it?”

“You are wonderful,” Hannibal said. “But this is not how I wished our first time would go.”

“That’s okay,” Will said. “I imagined it differently, too.”

“What did you see?”

Will hesitated. “It was always the same, more or less.” He felt a flush in his cheeks, despite what they had just done. “You have me on the couch, in the study,” he said. “Make me spread my legs for you so you can use your fingers on me.”

Hannibal groaned and moved closer, hand sliding between Will’s legs to do as he was told.

“Sometimes you make me beg for it,” Will murmured in his ear. “Other times you just make me come as fast as you can, just to show me how good you can make me feel.”

“Will,” Hannibal whined and rose to his knees again, settling between Will’s legs. “Don’t you ever let me taste you?”

Will’s felt himself clench at the words. “I guess I’m kinda selfish in my fantasies.”

Hannibal smirked as he pressed a kiss to the inside of Will’s thigh. “I like you selfish.”

Will chuckled. “You’ll love me in heat, then,” he said, and Hannibal groaned before he finally pressed his lips to him, licking around his rim to get a taste. “Oh, fuck,” he whimpered, and he could see Hannibal’s satisfied smirk before he doubled his efforts, keeping Will’s legs apart as he licked and sucked at him.

Soon enough, Will was thrusting up against him, unable to keep still, too overwhelmed to stop himself from seeking his own pleasure.

“I’m gonna—gonna come if you don’t stop,” he whimpered, and moaned when Hannibal’s response was to slip his fingers inside him again. Will got a hand in his hair and made him look up. “I’m not the one in heat,” he said, breathless. “I won’t be able to go again if you make me come like this.” He grinned. “I think I’d prefer to do it on your knot.”

Hannibal smiled and pressed a parting kiss to his thigh before he rose and moved up. He took his cock in hand and looked at Will, who nodded and helped guide him inside, both moaning when he bottomed out. Hannibal’s knot was forming again—or it’d never gone down, Will wasn’t sure—and it filled and stretched him in a way that made him clutch at Hannibal, try to get him even deeper.

“So good,” Will moaned. “You feel so good, fuck, alpha, _yes—_ ”

He was lost after that, wrapped around Hannibal, face buried in his neck, full of his scent, full of him to the brim, it was so much, too much—

“I love you,” he whimpered. “God, I love you so much, I, _fuck—_ ”

Hannibal groaned above him, rocking him with a few final thrusts before he stilled, locking them together. The feeling of being so _full_ finally pushed Will over the edge, making him buck up and squeeze around Hannibal as they rode it out.

Hannibal settled on top of him for a moment, and Will never wanted him to move, never wanted the comfort of his alpha being inside him and all over him to be taken away from him.

Hannibal seemed to have other ideas. He rolled onto his back, making Will tumble on top of him as they were still tied, and Will laughed, breathless.

“Fucker,” he muttered, leaning in to kiss him. Hannibal looked a mess, sweaty and disheveled—and so, so happy.

“You’re so pretty.” The words were out of Will’s mouth before he could think saying them through.

Hannibal’s eyebrows rose up. “Pretty?”

“Mm,” Will confirmed, nipping at his jaw. “Prettiest alpha I ever met.” Hannibal smiled, but there was a hitch in his breath, and his eyes welled up quickly. “Oh, babe, I’m sorry,” Will said, but Hannibal shook his head and took his hand to kiss his knuckles.

“You didn’t hurt me, darling,” he said. “I am simply… Overwhelmed. By everything,” he said, his hands settling on Will’s hips.

Will’s heart thundered in his chest. He leaned in, relaxing on top of Hannibal as much as he could. “I did mean it, you know,” he said quietly. “I love you.”

“And I you,” Hannibal said, kissing the top of his head. “Will you be able to nap here?”

“Like this?” Will asked, wiggling and making Hannibal moan as he tugged on his knot.

“On this floor,” Hannibal elaborated, stilling Will’s hips. “In this bed.”

“I don’t know,” Will said. “You can sleep if you want to. I won’t leave.” Hannibal took a breath, but Will blindly reached up and pressed two fingers to his lips. “We can talk later. Go to sleep, baby.”

He felt Hannibal’s lips stretch into a sleepy smile. “I love it when you call me that.”

“Duly noted,” Will replied. He almost expected Hannibal to speak again, but all he heard was his breathing, getting steadily deeper.

Will smiled and closed his eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this feels like a gushy filler chapter (not that this entire thing isn't just plotless fluff haha) but i wanted to post it on its own so i could say that depending on how the ending unfolds the next chapter could be the last - i can't say for sure because i haven't written it out and i can't wait until i have it all done before i update. thank you for reading and dealing with my bullshit :'D 
> 
> a small warning - there's no direct mention of mpreg here but it is kind of implied in a gesture? that sounds super vague but you'll probably see it when you get to it. i won't make a more direct reference to it in this fic, so you don't have to worry if that's something that makes you uncomfortable.

The next morning, Will woke up in the middle of the bed, tangled in both his and Hannibal's blankets. It’d taken him a while to fall asleep, even with Hannibal’s arm wrapped around him and his chest sending soothing vibrations through Will’s back with every purr. He’d ended up just trying to enjoy the feeling, to quiet his mind, before finally dozing off about an hour after Hannibal’s breathing had evened out. At least he’d had no nightmares.

He rolled onto his back and stretched. He wished he could stay longer, but he wanted to see Hannibal more.

At the foot of the bed, he saw something blue, and he shifted that way to find it was a sweater—Hannibal had probably taken the red one to be washed, but this one was just as soft, and seemed to be actually oversized. Hannibal had also left him a pair of boxers, as well as sweats. Will shook his head – none of the clothes were his, even though his overnight bag was resting on the armchair by the window.

After a quick shower, he put on the underwear and sweater and, seeing that this one actually reached the middle of his thighs, he decided to forgo the pants. His bare legs left the hickey Hannibal had left on his thigh during round two visible and Will knew it’d be appreciated.

Good thing Hannibal kept his house well-heated.

When he went down to the kitchen, he peeked inside without opening the door fully and smiled when Hannibal noticed him. “Do you have any surprises planned for me today?” he asked.

“They wouldn’t remain surprises if I told you about them, would they?” Hannibal replied, but then shook his head at Will’s arched eyebrow. “If anyone decided to visit us, it would not be because I invited them.”

“Good,” Will said and walked in, trying to keep his face neutral as he noted the delighted spark in Hannibal’s eyes as he looked Will over. “Good morning,” he murmured, hugging Hannibal from the side and kissing his shoulder.

“Good morning, my love,” Hannibal replied, caressing his arm and turning his head to kiss Will’s forehead. “Did you sleep well?”

“Mhmm.” Will leaned in closer so he could put his nose to Hannibal’s neck. He smelled clean and content, no sign of his rut remained in his scent. Will couldn’t resist pressing a small kiss there, too. “You gotta let me wake up next to you one of these days, though.”

“I meant to return with breakfast.”

“I’d rather have you for breakfast,” Will said. It wasn’t that funny of an innuendo, but Will appreciated the way it made Hannibal smile playfully at him. He really was beautiful. “But pancakes will also do, I guess.” He squeezed around Hannibal once and let him get the next batch done, taking one of the stools at the island.

“I tend to crave sweets after a rut,” Hannibal explained when he saw Will appraise the assortment of chocolate, jam and fresh fruits laid out. “I also have some ham and cheese, if you’d rather have them savory.”

“Okay,” Will said softly. Hannibal looked up at him, and for a moment they just stood there, took each other in. Will could feel the warmth of Hannibal’s gaze on his skin, and he was sure he looked just as smitten. Will struggled to define what exactly made him pause, what about simply watching Hannibal make pancakes in his pajamas and robe made his heart feel so full.

It hit him minutes later, when Hannibal was sitting next to him, their knees pressed together as they ate. There was some chocolate smeared at the corner Hannibal’s lips, but instead of getting it with a napkin, Hannibal just pushed it with his thumb towards his mouth. Will doubted he’d let many other people see him act so – unrefined, he would call it. So unguarded. He’d shared his bed, his rut, his home with Will – he’d given so much of himself that Will had never expected to earn. It made him feel treasured.

It made him feel safe.

“Are you alright?” Hannibal asked him. Will hadn’t realized he’d been staring.

He smiled awkwardly and nodded. “Just got distracted by how pretty you look.”

Hannibal looked away, but there was a pleased flush to his cheeks. Will knew he would have told him if he didn’t like it, but Hannibal said nothing. He just let himself be vulnerable. It made Will lean in and kiss him, licking up the remnants of chocolate himself. Hannibal purred into it, hand going up to prop Will’s chin gently as he deepened the kiss.

They moved to the nest after they ate, content to just snuggle and kiss for a while. Will couldn’t remember the last lazy day he’d had—a few months prior he’d gotten sick enough that he wasn’t able to leave bed for too long, but he wasn’t sure recuperation counted for laziness. Hannibal certainly wouldn’t think so, and he made sure Will felt as cozy as possible even without being told how long it had been since he’d had anything like this. It likely didn’t need saying. Will was starved for touch and affection and it was embarrassingly evident, but Hannibal never said anything about the way Will pressed to him, clingy and pathetic. He just clung back, kissing his cheeks and nuzzling into them until the tender skin around his mouth was red, burning with the scratch of Will’s beard. He was so soft in ways that Will wasn’t, just as Will felt squishy in places he knew Hannibal wouldn’t give. They were a perfect fit and knew exactly how to push the other’s buttons.

That’s why at one point Will admitted—quite casually—that while he had toys at home and he’d had someone come inside of him before, he’d never had an alpha actually knot him until Hannibal, and grinned when it made Hannibal growl and slip his hands under Will’s sweater, fingers tucking under the hem of his boxers and pulling them down. It wasn’t a lie; none of his relationships with alphas had lasted long enough for them to share a rut, and offering his help to a rutting acquaintance just for the experience of it hadn’t seem like the best idea for him. Although Hannibal was better than most, he _was_ still an alpha, and Will knew the idea of him being his omega’s first _anything_ sent fire running through his veins.

He fucked Will nice and slow, letting both of them enjoy it without the urge to come, to knot as fast as possible. He kept murmuring encouragements and compliments, pressing them into Will’s skin along with his kisses, and when he came it was with soft _Will_ that made Will pull him closer and kiss him until Hannibal had to pull away for breath. When he sat up and pulled out, Will whined something about not getting the nest dirty, so Hannibal quickly replaced his cock with his fingers.

“You’ll just have to keep it all inside, then,” he said calmly, smirking when it made Will whimper and wrap a hand around his own hard cock. “You like that, don’t you?” he murmured, fucking Will with his fingers. “Being full of me.”

“Yes, alpha,” Will moaned, making Hannibal groan and move faster, Will’s slick and Hannibal’s come making the slide sound obscene. “Harder,” he said. “ _Please._ ”

Not that he needed much more. It was barely a minute before he was shaking apart, hips pumping up and down as Hannibal fucked him through it, murmuring praise for his beauty and eagerness.

He was focused on his hand between Will’s legs, and for a moment Will thought he might eat him out in order to get rid of the mess and his legs twitched involuntarily, trying to close against the anticipation of overstimulation. Hannibal either noticed or hadn’t planned on doing it in the first place, because he simply kissed Will’s knee and awkwardly shrugged his robe off, spreading most of it under Will’s raised hips before he removed his fingers and wiped them on the fabric. He stretched next to Will and leaned over him to kiss him, his hand rubbing over Will’s belly in a way that made Will flush to imagine what he was thinking.

He didn’t know how long they stayed that way. He was feeling tacky and gross, but he found that that didn’t make him want to get up as much as inactivity just made him restless. He didn’t know what else they could do in Hannibal’s house so he blurted out,

“Do you wanna go on a date?”

“A date?”

“Yeah. Just for a walk. Or we could go to a museum or something,” he said. “Or not,” he added when Hannibal took to reply, but Hannibal just shook his head.

“I was just wondering what you’d enjoy best. Have you been to the Walters Art Museum?”

“No,” Will said. “I haven’t really been to any of them. I tend to stay out of town unless I have business here.”

“Terribly rude of me to drag you back into it,” Hannibal said. “Would you prefer it if we stayed in Wolf Trap instead of here?”

“Are you sure you can handle the dog smell?”

“I suppose I should get used to it, sooner or later,” Hannibal said, and something clenched in Will’s chest. They’d mentioned moving in together before, but that was when Will didn’t know Hannibal actually meant any of it. “I thought I should maybe move a bed down here,” Hannibal continued as if next to him Will’s brain wasn’t screaming. “Convert one of the guest rooms upstairs into a study. We could have the dog beds in here so they could be warm, but they’d still have to go outside through the dining—”

Will shut him up with a kiss.

Once he pulled away, Hannibal blinked at him. “Did I get carried away again?”

“Not any more that I wanted you to,” Will assured him. “We should shower. Separately,” he said, making Hannibal smirk and kiss him again.

“Do you want to also have lunch out?”

“Are you sure your head won’t explode if you let someone else prepare my food?”

“I thought I’d just feed it to you by hand to compensate,” Hannibal said with a shrug.

Will rolled his eyes. “I might let you. When we’re home,” Will said, and Hannibal looked delighted. “Can we…”

“Yes?”

“Can we take these blankets with us?” Will asked tentatively, rubbing his cheek onto the soft fabric beneath it. “I don’t have anything like them back home.”

“We could buy you some when we’re in town.”

“But these already smell like us,” Will said. It was a weak point to make—they’d have to wash them soon anyway, and any new ones would soak up their scents in no time—but Hannibal didn’t argue.

“As you wish, darling,” he said and got up. “Go and wash up, I’ll pack them and get ready myself.”

He was still close enough when Will got up, so when the feeling of _leaking_ made him groan and flush, he clutched at Hannibal’s arm. With his other hand he held the robe wrapped around his waist. Hannibal didn’t seem apologetic _at all_. Not that he had to be sorry—Will was just feeling salty enough to bite his jaw harder than their usual affectionate nips, but that only seemed to make Hannibal happier, so Will just grumbled and let him go.

He almost regretted suggesting going out when he saw Hannibal all suited up, his hair slicked back. He preferred him more relaxed—but he had to remind himself that Hannibal _felt_ comfortable like this, even if he didn’t look like it to Will. So he just pecked his lips and they walked out, but not before Hannibal wrapped one of his scarves around Will’s neck, insisting that his jacket’s collar wasn’t high enough, even if they wouldn’t be spending that much time out in the open.

Will didn’t remember the last date he’d gone on, but he was sure none compared to his first one with Hannibal. It felt good to walk hand in hand with Hannibal through the museum halls, listening to him talk about the artifacts, about his time in France, about his youth. His voice was the most soothing sound and Will got lost in it, tuning everything and everyone else out. His phone was somewhere in his bag; he’d listened to Jack and not bothered to charge it once it died. Will knew Jack would have no problem reaching him if he really needed him, but he was certain that if he tried through Hannibal, his alpha would refuse for him and grant him another moment’s peace before Jack reached Wolf Trap to bang down his door.

Lunch was a quiet affair in a nice restaurant that Hannibal knew. They managed to remain decent until dessert when Hannibal got a bite of his cake on his fork and offered it to Will. Will rolled his eyes and indulged him, but he made the mistake of making a pleased sound at the taste and so Hannibal had another bite ready before he’d swallowed the first one. Will’s cheeks felt hot but he accepted it, his eyes darting around to make sure nobody was watching. The only one who seemed to be paying attention to them was a woman—her chin was propped on her hand as she listened to her companion. When Will caught her watching she gave him an apologetic smile and turned away, but Will’s gaze lingered on her, on her wrist. On the promise band around it.

Promise bands went in and out of fashion constantly. People seemed to prefer engagement rings these days because they were more flashy and expensive, but there were still those who insisted that simplicity was better, whether they actually meant it or because it was a popular opinion to have at the time. Will himself felt no need to spend a small fortune on a piece of jewelry, but would Hannibal agree? Would he even accept it if Will proposed to him? Was he traditional enough that he would refuse Will’s token, whether it was a simple fabric band or a golden ring, insisting that he had to pop the question as the alpha?

Will had a promise band in a drawer at home, the one his mother had given to his father before they mated. It was a sad, ratty old little thing. Not that he could give it to Hannibal if it was in better condition. _My mother promised herself to my father forever with this and then promptly broke that promise. Please don’t leave me like she did?_

“Will?” Will blinked and turned his attention back to him, taking the bite absentmindedly. “Where did you go?”

“I…” _Got carried away._ “I was thinking that making out in public would make us less obnoxious than this.”

Hannibal smiled a little. “Perhaps,” he said and leaned back to finish his cake himself. Will took care of his own piece – lighter than Hannibal’s but still delicious – and soon they were ready to go.

Hannibal insisted that they went grocery shopping before they left town, appalled at the state of Will’s fridge when he’d last seen it, so they arrived in Wolf Trap with the back of Hannibal’s car stacked. Will went ahead to unlock the door and the dogs poured outside, tails wagging as they greeted him and Hannibal. They managed to carry everything inside without tripping over them and Will waited until Hannibal’s back was to him, busy taking everything out of the bags. He went to his desk and opened the drawer as quietly as possible, looking for the band.

He’d looked at it many times before, but he examinted it again carefully. It was a nice design. He could maybe replicate it, or make something a bit different if he started to feel iffy about them being so similar. He liked red and black together, and he imagined Hannibal would appreciate the combination. He’d just have to get a nicer quality fabric and thread and—

“Darling, where do you keep your spices?”

Will started and shoved the band in his pocket, closing the drawer with his thigh before he turned around.

He shook his head. He wasn’t about to propose _yet_ – they had been rushed enough already, they deserved to take their time. He had to figure out if Hannibal would appreciate it anyway, so he tried not to think about it as he went to Hannibal and helped him put the groceries away.

Will was home, Hannibal and the dogs were here, and the nightmares were outside and they wouldn’t get to him for a while yet. Will tried to focus on that.

They had time enough for everything else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk if it's like that in many other verses so i wanna clarify in case i didn't manage to do it in the text - in this one alphas can't knot outside of heats and ruts.
> 
> i obviously have never been to baltimore and this one travel site listed the walters art museum as one of 65 museums and i'm just ????? my hometown is about as big as baltimore (aka not that big at all) and we barely have 20? are you really that cultured and refined, baltimore residents confirm
> 
> (also writing this made me crave pancakes and i can't have any because i can't have animal products press f to pay respects)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there were several reasons why this took so long – anxiety, exams, illness, the new semester starting – but i’m not gonna lie, the main one was this: i was scared you guys would hate it. i was hoping to get over that and post it when i was calmer, but it’s been more than a month already and it’s not going away, so i’m just gonna suck it up and share the finale already and hope for the best.
> 
> thank you for your patience and for sticking with me through this story, it means the world to me. ♥

The rest of the week, spent in Will’s little house, was the happiest of his life, he was sure.

The nightmares didn’t leave him—they never would—but they were made more bearable by the fact that he had someone to wake up to, someone who didn’t mind waking in the middle of the night to hold and comfort him, no matter how sweaty and pathetic Will felt. It was even better to have that someone there in the morning, awake and waiting to rouse him with sweet words and touches so that they could get up and make breakfast together.

Will had thought that it might feel stifling to have an alpha in his home for a longer time, but Hannibal felt like a part of this home; his presence was a comfort without the barest hint of threat. He respected Will’s space—and the one time he didn’t, when he went looking for something in a drawer without asking and thus stumbled upon Will’s collection of toys, well. He took it upon himself to leave Will boneless, playing with him for what felt like hours on end until all he could do was whimper and writhe. Will had the sneaking suspicion he was making up for their ‘imperfect’ first time together, and though Will himself didn’t think that necessary in the slightest, he couldn’t find it in him to complain. Not when Hannibal was so completely in control, murmuring filth in his ear, or weakly whispering for Will to fuck him harder when their positions were reversed.

On Sunday evening, when Hannibal had to go back to Baltimore, Will couldn’t help but press him to the door and give him a long kiss.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Hannibal said, and Will could relate to the quiet longing in his tone. He nodded and stepped away, letting Hannibal crouch so he could pet Buster one last time before he went.

Will felt ridiculous already missing him mere minutes after Hannibal’s car disappeared from his sight, but he thought he deserved to be a bit ridiculous in his first love, even if he was well past his teenage years.

After that, things went back to normal, more or less. Will taught in the academy, and Hannibal started seeing his patients again. Their routine didn’t change that much – they still had dinner together almost every day, except now Will met Hannibal at his office and they went home together. It made him feel better to know he could keep Hannibal safe if he needed it, and it didn’t hurt that Hannibal showed his appreciation for Will’s concern by pulling him into his office and pressing him to the nearest pillar to kiss him until he was dizzy. 

It was a bit surreal, how content he felt. Beverly kept giving him knowing looks whenever they were in the lab together, but she never said anything.

Until she did.

She linked her arm through his as he walked out of the lab one day, falling in stride with him with a grin.

“You’re way too happy for someone who just had to examine a corpse,” he said, but he didn’t pull away.

“Work is at work,” she said with a mild shrug. “I’ve been off duty for thirty seconds. I’ve left it all behind already.”

“I wish I could say the same,” he muttered. She squeezed his arm a little and he tried to give her a smile. “How are you doing? We haven’t really talked since…”

“Since I cried on you, yeah. I’m not crying anymore.”

“That’s good?” he offered.

She laughed. “It’s good,” she confirmed. “But I’m more interested in how  _you_ are doing.”

“Of course you are.” He rolled his eyes when she squeezed him again. “I’m fine.”

“Fine? That’s all you’re gonna give me?”

“More than fine,” he amended.

“How’s the boyfriend?” she asked, and he huffed.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” he said. He couldn’t seem to settle on a label he liked more than  _mate,_ but he wasn’t about to tell her that.

“Is that right? Is he your fiancé already?”

“Not yet,” he said, and couldn’t help but put his free hand in his pocket to find the mess of thread there. He’d been trying a couple of designs for bands he liked, and his latest attempt wasn’t finished, so he’d shoved it in his pocket for safekeeping. He wouldn’t want to leave it lying around where Hannibal could see it.

Beverly stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned him to her, her eyes bright. “Are you hoping he puts a ring on it soon?”

He laughed. “I’m hoping I put a band on it, actually.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah,” he said, looking away. It made him feel self-conscious to actually talk about it, and he almost expected her to laugh at him, but she did nothing of the sort.

“ _Will_ ,” she whispered instead, pulling him into a tight hug. He laughed and hugged her back, his hands shaking. He felt tears prick at his eyes, and he blinked quickly to get rid of them before he had to face her again. He wasn’t too successful.

Neither was she. Her saw her eyes shine when they pulled away, and they both laughed awkwardly.

“When are you gonna do it?”

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “Soon, maybe?”

“Are you worried he’s gonna propose before you can?”

“Not really,” he mumbled. “I mean, I’m not sure he’ll say yes, let alone—”

“Are you kidding me?  _Of course_  he’s gonna say yes!” Beverly interrupted, and he wasn’t even mad at her for it. She was probably well aware of his insecurities, but she didn’t need to hear one of his little speeches. “I told you, he’s been into you for a long time. Are you happy with him?”

Will thought of laying in his bed, head pillowed on Hannibal’s shoulder, Hannibal’s calloused hand slipping under Will’s t-shirt to caress his back, neither of them saying a word.

He thought of coming inside from taking the mail to find Hannibal sitting on the floor, leaning on the bed, Buster sitting in the space between his legs and intently listening to Hannibal’s murmurings in Lithuanian as the man petted him gently.

He thought of Hannibal lifting Will up and spinning him around while they were out for a walk with the dogs, making Will laugh and feel like he was twenty years younger.

“I think he’s the love of my life,” he muttered before he could stop himself, and felt his face burn immediately.

Beverly cupped his cheeks to lift his gaze. “You’re just the cutest,” she said, “and I’m never letting you live this down.”

He groaned and swatted her hands away, and she relented with a laugh, but not before she ruffled his hair.

“I’m calling dibs on being your best man,” she said as they finally continued walking.

“Good,” Will said, his chest aching with her showing how much she cared. “I didn’t wanna ask Winston, I don’t think he’s ready for the responsibility.”

Beverly laughed. “I could talk him through being the flower boy. You never did let me borrow him.”

“A terrible oversight on my part,” he said. “I’ll be sure to introduce you soon.”

She beamed at him, and it made Will feel incredibly warm.

*

Jack hadn’t called him since Budge, so when he finally did one morning, Will knew it had to be serious.

“I need you out here,” Jack said, and his tone confirmed Will’s suspicion.

“Okay,” he said carefully.

“I think it’s the Ripper.”

Will swallowed. “Okay,” he said again. “Text me the address, I’ll be there.”

He washed up as fast as he could and went to open the door for the dogs so they could go out while he made coffee. He didn’t expect to see Hannibal’s car pull up as he did it.

He stepped out on the porch, worried. Hannibal seemed to be well enough as he stepped out of the car with a bag in hand, and he smiled softly as he walked up to Will.

“Everything okay?” Will asked when he was close enough.

Hannibal nodded and pulled him into a hug. “I woke up way too early and couldn’t fall back asleep, so I thought I’d bring you breakfast.”

He’d driven an hour and a half in the morning just to bring him food. Will shook his head. “I love you,” he said. “But I can’t stay.”

Hannibal pulled away to look at him. “Another killer?”

“Yeah,” Will said. “Though not a new one.” At Hannibal’s curious look, he elaborated, “Jack thinks it’s the Ripper.”

“The Chesapeake Ripper?”

“That’s the one,” Will said. He snuggled up to Hannibal again. “It’s been a while since we’ve caught his trace. If this is him at all. Jack wants me to confirm it.”

“You’ll have little time to act if the victim is his,” Hannibal said, and Will nodded. Hannibal sighed and kissed his forehead. “I trust you’ll take this with you, to grab a bite when you can,” he said, reaching into the bag to get a Tupperware box out of it.

“Thank you,” Will said, and suddenly remembered—“The coffee,” he said and went back inside to stop the maker before it overflowed, Hannibal following right behind him.

He poured himself a to-go cup and took the box from Hannibal, feeling a little lost.

“I’ll take care of the dogs,” Hannibal said.

“Are you sure?” Will asked. “Hannibal, you came all this way—”

“Because I wanted to see you,” he said. “And I did,” he added with a small smile. “You don’t have to worry about anything. You can go.”

“Okay,” Will said and went to him to peck his lips. Hannibal held onto him, touching their foreheads together for a long moment, breathing out an almost imperceptible sigh through his nose. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Will whispered. Hannibal just nodded against him and let him go. Will hated to leave him, but he kept hearing Jack’s voice in his head, how shaken he was despite doing his best to sound his usual stoic self. “I’ll see you later, okay?” Will said with another soft kiss.

All Hannibal did was nod, and Will left.

*

Two hours later, he was finally at the crime scene. Jack greeted him, as grim as Will expected, and led him to the body.

Well. Bodies.

They were laid out in the dirt, a frame of roses dividing the composition from the rest of the field. Because it was a composition – an imitation of a Renaissance painting, something that could have been beautiful if not for the materials used. Two men, an alpha and an omega, Jack supplied. The omega was positioned above the alpha, reaching for the gift he was being offered – the alpha’s heart, cupped in his own hands. His knees were bent so he looked like he was kneeling, submitting to his omega and praying his offering was accepted. They were both bare, their modesty—as if that was still a concern—preserved by soft-looking fabric draped over them. Red for the omega, black for the alpha.

The sight was unsettling, to say the least.

“Any missing organs?” Will asked.

“The alpha’s lungs.”

Will considered the image. “He needs to release no breath but for praise of his omega,” he mumbled.

Jack gave him an intent look, but before he could speak, Will leaned in, having noticed what the killer had used to bind the alpha’s heart to his palms. Will’s stomach lurched as he noticed the pattern in the thread, the colors.

His mother’s wedding band.

He had to look away for a moment, taking a steadying breath. He could feel Jack’s gaze on him. He couldn’t give anything away, he couldn’t—

He took another look to make sure he was right. He was not—not completely, at least. The colors weren’t faded, the thread wasn’t fuzzy, it was bright and smooth. But it  _was_ the same design, replicated for the scene. Will closed his eyes as the pieces fell together, the picture they formed threatening to tear  _him_ apart.

_Jesus Christ, Hannibal._

“Is it the Ripper?” Jack asked in the end, too impatient to wait for Will to speak up.

 _Oh God, is it?_ Realizing Hannibal was at fault for the scene in front of him was one thing, but that he was the Chesapeake Ripper? How could a man as gentle as him be able to—

But of course he was, he had to fool Will somehow, seduce him so he wouldn’t want to give him up—

But this scene was  _him,_ confessing his feelings for Will, his devotion to him, his willingness to—to—to do what? Die for him?  _Kill_  for him?

“Will?”

Will took a breath. “It’s him,” he said, for better or for worse.  _It’s him, I know it’s him, and he knew I’d know, and he wanted me to find out this way—_

“So the Ripper’s in love, now?” Jack asked. Will had to stop himself from growling at the disgust in his tone, and felt shame wash over him at the impulse.  _He’s right to be disgusted. I should be disgusted, too._ He just felt numb.

“I’m afraid it seems that way,” he said. He stepped away from the bodies. His head was spinning.

He could tell Jack right now. He wouldn’t believe him, not at first, but he could. Is that what Hannibal wanted? Or did he want to test Will’s loyalty to him by putting him on the spot?

Will hated himself for letting himself be fooled this long. He hated Hannibal for playing with him.

Still, he couldn’t say it.

“I don’t think I can be useful to you, Jack.”

“Bullshit,” Jack said. “It’s been two years. This might be our only chance to catch him. I need you here, Will.”

 _But I don’t want you to catch him._ Will shook his head, trying to clear it. “I can’t do this.”

“Will—” Jack started and reached for him, but Will pulled away forcefully.

“ _No_ ,” he growled. “I can’t do this,” he repeated, aware of the heads that turned their way at his raised voice. He scrambled for an excuse. “Studying old files was one thing. But this—I can’t handle this,” he said, gesturing towards the bodies. “I don’t want him in my head, Jack. It’s too much.”

“You can handle it,” Jack said. “I can help you handle it.”

“But you can’t!” Will said, letting out a laugh that sounded a bit on the hysterical side. “You can’t get in my head and fight him off with me. It’s too much,” he said, choking. “It’s too much.”

The look in Jack’s eyes was made up of equal parts anger and worry. “I thought you were doing better.”

“That’s only because you left me alone,” Will said. “I have to go.” Jack caught his arm before he could turn away.

“You could help us catch him,” Jack said calmly.

“Is that what you told Miriam Lass?” Will asked. It was a low blow, but he needed more of those if he wanted to get a win over Jack’s stubbornness.

Pain shot through Jack’s gaze. “I’m not letting the same thing happen to you.”

“You already are,” Will said quietly. “This is bad for me, Jack.”

“Do you wanna quit, then?”

“I don’t know. Maybe,” Will said. Jack seemed surprised to hear him actually say it. He took a breath and let him go.

“Go home, Will,” he said. “We can talk tomorrow.”

Will huffed and walked away.

He kept his eyes on the ground on the way to his car, trying to appear shaken rather than let his agitation show. He could barely wait until he was out of sight of the team before he stepped on it, rushing to Hannibal’s office.

He wouldn’t be there. He couldn’t be there. Will could see it now—how odd his morning visit was; of course he hadn’t just wanted to bring Will food. No one could love him that much.

He’d merely wanted to say goodbye.

He’d given it a good shot, trying out a relationship with Will, before he decided it wasn’t worth it. He was gone already, Will was sure, on his way to a safe location after he’d left Will with a parting gift – acknowledging his feelings for him one last time along with revealing his true identity.

The road in front of Will was blurry and he rubbed at his eyes, willing the tears away, furious at himself for being so foolish.

Furious at Hannibal for leaving without him.

Hannibal’s Bentley was parked in front of his office, but Will didn’t let that raise his hopes. He wouldn’t run away with a car recognized as his.

He made his way up the stairs and banged on the door, even though it was futile. He didn’t know what he was doing here, he should have told Jack so they could start chasing him right away, it’d be too late now and he’d ask Will why he didn’t tell him immediately and they’d think they were working together—

The door to Hannibal’s office opened.

Will’s jaw dropped.

“Will?” Hannibal inquired. He had the audacity to look surprised.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Will whispered.

“I’m with a patient,” Hannibal explained calmly.

 _Are you fucking kidding me?_ “Tell them to go,” Will said. “ _Now_ , Hannibal,” he added when Hannibal just stood and looked at him for a long moment.

He nodded and closed the door. A couple of minutes passed before he opened it again. Will stormed in, his mind a mess.

“What the fuck, Hannibal?” he burst out, unable to stop himself. “Why are you still here?”

“I was hoping you would come,” Hannibal said. He stood by the door, completely still, watching Will pace around his office.

“And do what? Run into your arms and thank you for the gift?”

“Did you like it?” Hannibal asked. The playfulness in his gaze only served to fuel Will’s anger.

“Is this a joke to you?” he asked. “What if you left evidence?”

“I did not.”

Will growled at the arrogance in his tone. Hannibal didn’t seem chastised. On the contrary, his smile grew as he dared to take a step towards Will.

“What if I told Jack?” Will said. “What if he came here with a team, ready to—to…” He couldn’t even finish the sentence. “Why didn’t you run?”

“I couldn’t,” Hannibal said, coming closer. “I can’t leave without you, darling,” he whispered, his hand settling on Will’s cheek.

Will teared up again. “You’re lying,” he whispered. “You don’t love me.”

“I do,” Hannibal said. “Darling, I do,” he insisted, his other hand coming up to cup his face so he wouldn’t pull away.

“You fucking lied to me,” Will whimpered. “I gave lectures on you and then came home to have you sleep next to me. Hold me. Feed me—God,  _did you feed them to me?_ ”

Hannibal’s silence was answer enough. Will sobbed and pushed him away, taking a few steps back until he fell into one of the armchairs. He buried his face in his hands as he breathed, trying to steady himself. It was too much. Too much.

He heard shuffling and uncovered his eyes to see Hannibal kneeling before him, a poor imitation of the scene he’d set for Will earlier. Will huffed, leaning back in the chair to put a little more distance between them.

“Are you going to kill me?” he asked quietly. Hannibal frowned. “When you’re done with me,” Will clarified, “are you going to kill me?”

“There is no  _being done with you,_ ” Hannibal said. “You’re not a toy to me.”

“Then why did you do this?” Will whispered. “You just wanted to see what I would do.”

“I knew exactly what you would do.”

“Because you got into my head.”

“Because I know you love me, darling,” Hannibal said, shifting closer until he could take Will’s hands. “As I love you.”

“How do you expect me to believe that?”

“All I wanted was for you to know me,” Hannibal said. “See me for who I really am. I couldn’t simply  _tell_ you. I had to find a way to make you understand.”

“But I  _don’t_ understand,” Will said. “I could’ve told Jack. I could still tell him. Why would you give me that kind of power?”

“You won’t tell Jack.”

“How the fuck do you know I won’t?” Will growled.

Hannibal entwined their fingers together. “Because I’m yours, darling. You won’t let them take me away,” he purred, rising to nuzzle into Will’s neck.

“Fuck you,” Will said, but he didn’t pull away. There was no point. He was arguing just for the sake of it and Hannibal knew it.

He wanted Hannibal. He wanted all of him. 

He was not about to let anyone else have him.

“I know what you’re willing to do for me,” Hannibal said, pulling away to meet his gaze. “Because I would do the same for you. You and I belong together, Will.” He reached in his pocket and brought out Will’s mother’s band. “You know that it’s true.”

“I know you’re not about to propose to me with the same band my mother did to my father,” Will said.

Hannibal blinked up at him. “I wasn’t aware of its history. I found it in your pocket and assumed—”

“That I’d propose with something clearly older than myself?” Will huffed and reached into his own pocket. He’d finally finished a design he liked, and he’d intended to remake it soon, be more careful not to have bits of thread sticking out more than others. “Beverly was fucking right,” he said. “You  _had_ to propose to me before I could do it.”

Hannibal swallowed. “I’m sorry, darling, I—”

“Nevermind,” Will said. He took both bands and threw them over his shoulder, smiling at Hannibal’s frown. “You owe me something way more expensive for all the shit you pulled,” he said and leaned in closer.

“Anything, darling,” Hannibal said, looking about ready to kiss him.  

Will chuckled and buried his fingers in Hannibal’s hair to keep him at bay. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do with you,” he said quietly.

Hannibal licked his lips. “Anything you want.”

Will shook his head. He finally closed the space between them to give Hannibal a kiss. He’d meant to make it chaste, but Hannibal pulled him closer until Will was embracing him, clinging to him as Hannibal kissed him deeper.

“We can’t stay,” Will whispered when they parted, burying his face in Hannibal’s neck. “Jack won’t let me quit.”

“We’ll leave, then,” Hannibal said. “Go on our honeymoon and never come back.”

“I never actually said yes,” Will pointed out. “Neither did you.”

“To be fair, you didn’t propose,” Hannibal said.

“You’ll have to wait until I make another band.”

“I’ll wait for as long as you need me to,” Hannibal said, and Will shook his head, carding his fingers through Hannibal’s hair over and over. “And then, I’ll show you Florence.”

Will arched an eyebrow. “I only meant another state.”

“Do you object to Italy?”

“Not really,” Will said. “We should have the wedding here, though. I already got a best man. And a flower boy. Which reminds me, we’ll need seven dog passports,” he added, and laughed at Hannibal’s confusion. “Or maybe less. I could leave some of them with Bev or Alana.”

“Could you really part with them?”

“I guess,” Will said with a shrug. “It won’t be hard if I know they’re going to good homes.”

“It would free up a lot of space, too.”

“I mean, yeah,” Will said. “We’ll definitely have to think about that if we wanna have—” He shut his mouth.

Judging by the light in Hannibal’s eyes, Will didn’t have to finish the sentence for Hannibal to know that he’d meant to say _._ “If we want to have what?” he asked anyway.

“Nothing,” Will said weakly. “We can talk about it later.”

“As you wish, darling,” Hannibal whispered.

He kissed Will again, putting everything left unsaid into it. Will cupped his face and a whimper escaped him when he felt the wetness running down Hannibal’s cheeks.

Here was Hannibal Lecter, The Chesapeake Ripper, the most dangerous man Will knew. Reduced to tears at the mere thought of them having children. 

There were lots of things left for them to figure out, a lot more arguments to have, but in this single moment, all Will knew was this—

Hannibal was his mate, and Will loved him like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading.
> 
> I'm sorry if the ending seems too unrealistic or easy, a bigger conflict wouldn't have suited the tone of the story without extending it further and I just wanted to give them a happy ending. I hope it's not too disappointing.
> 
> also, it seems i didn't make it clear enough, which i am very sorry for - tobias was the alpha killer, it wasn't anyone else. will sensed hannibal was lying, because he WAS - we as the viewers know that he killed franklyn and that that particular act definitely wasn't self-defense on his part. you can be sure they talked about it at some point after the fic's ending.
> 
> You can reblog this/say hi on [tumblr.](https://acheforhim-fic.tumblr.com/post/183175526734/hanigram-fic-like-you-like-this-omegaverse) I have a couple of ideas for new stuff, so I’m hoping to post again soon, but if there’s anything specific you’d like to see me write, you can always let me know.
> 
> ♥♥♥

**Author's Note:**

> please consider [retweeting](https://twitter.com/ache4him/status/1114520867969667073) or [reblogging](https://acheforhim-fic.tumblr.com/post/183175526734/hanigram-fic-like-you-like-this-omegaverse) if you enjoyed ♥


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